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In the crush of media coverage around the opening week fiasco at Heathrow's Terminal 5, one incident sort of got lost in the shuffle. At 11am on the terminal's opening day, hundreds of red-shirt-wearing protesters organized by HACAN-ClearSkies flooded into the terminal, a flash mob protesting the opening of T5 and the general expansion of Heathrow, where traffic has doubled in the last 20 years.
HACAN (which stands for the Heathrow Association for the Control of
Aircraft Noise), says that growth at Heathrow needs to stop. ASAP. The group's primary beef is that the airport makes life hell for hundreds of thousands of nearby residents. Heathrow's close proximity to London, they say, means that low flying planes pass over some communities every 90 seconds practically without break. While residents of other European cities are dealing with similar problems, they say that no one has it as bad as Londoners.
Not lacking for drama, HACAN calls Heathrow a "city state whose tentacles envelop London and the Thames Valley," and they have some big demands. Among them is the cessation of night flying from Heathrow, a cap on overall air traffic from the airport, a tax on connecting passengers, and adoption of World Health Organization noise guidelines.
Are they going to be able to make any of this happen? In the short and medium term, it's unlikely. A big airport operation is essential to the success of UK airlines, especially British Airways. And a bustling Heathrow is considered crucial if London is to compete with Paris, Frankfurt, and Amsterdam as a major travel hub. While some members of the British Parliament are supporting HARCAN, those with an economic and/or political interest in Heathrow's continued growth are going to push back. Hard. As a matter of fact, the UK's Department of Transport is looking into constructing a third runway at Heathrow to ease congestion.
It would be an understatement to say that the HACAN folks have their work cut out for them. But hey, if you happen to be in London on May 31, they're hosting a big anti-expansion march/rally/carnival. More information here.
Photo: HACAN
