Climate activists, including a former airline pilot, claim to have blocked all major entrances to an airport in Hampshire in a protest against emissions from private jets.

Extinction Rebellion has parked a stretch limousine outside the gates of Farnborough Airport, with the driver locked to the steering wheel and a fellow protester glued to its roof.

Other members of the group have locked themselves on top of a three-metre-high steel tripod at a second gateway and to fuel barrels at a third entrance.

Protester Todd Smith, 32, a former airline pilot from Reading, Berkshire, criticised Farnborough Airport’s move to offer sustainable aviation fuel as an alternative fuel.

He said: “The term ‘sustainable aviation fuel’ was coined by the aviation and fossil fuel industry to deceive the public and greenwash the utterly destructive nature of biofuels.

“Biofuels result in land grabs, deforestation, biodiversity loss, water scarcity, rising food prices and land-use emissions which can be worse than the fossil fuel they are replacing.”

A spokeswoman for the airport said the airport remained fully operational: “Farnborough Airport is aware of a number of unauthorised persons gathering at the entrance to the airport.

COP26: Police to receive public order training ahead of Glasgow climate summit

Extinction Rebellion protesters block Tower Bridge with a van and caravan

Animal Rebellion: Hundreds of animal rights protesters linked to Extinction Rebellion stop traffic in London

“Authorities are continually monitoring the situation.”

A spokesman for the group said it was calling on the “world’s super-rich elite of celebrities, oligarchs and business leaders to ditch private flights” ahead of Cop26.

He added: “These private flyers, just 1% of the world’s population, cause half of aviation’s global emissions. Extinction Rebellion is also demanding the government stops private flights now.

“The 30,000 private flights to and from Farnborough Airport each year carry an average of just 2.3 passengers, with each passenger responsible for the emission of nine times as much carbon as an economy flight to the US and 20 times that to Spain.

“The airport has permission to increase flight movements to 50,000 a year.

“In protest at this wanton level of pollution by the super-rich, Extinction Rebellion has today blockaded three key airport entrances.”

Related posts:

Are at-home abortions here to stay? ‘I’m gay and Muslim’: A snapshot of the UK as 2021 census is completed Prince of Wales to join country on national day of reflection Charges for drivers in Birmingham’s Clean Air Zone delayed by two weeks in ‘soft launch’ Woman in hospital with life-changing injuries after being attack by her own dog First flight carrying British nationals evacuated from Afghanistan arrives in UK ‘Unquestionably homophobic’ chanting aimed at Norwich footballer condemned Why everyone in Westminster is so convinced Boris Johnson is about to reshuffle his cabinet Runaway IS bride sorry ‘from bottom of my heart’ – as she says only crime was being ‘dumb’ UK reports highest number of daily COVID cases since start of pandemic Britons advised not to attend football matches in stadiums and to ‘prioritise’ events that ‘matter to them’ Andy Murray and Emma Raducanu crash out of Australian Open