Birmingham Airport secures High Court injunction to stop environmental protesters - here’s why

Lawyers for Birmingham Airport, along with Bristol and Liverpool John Lennon, sought the court’s protection claiming the sites were “particularly exposed” to the threat of disruption from groups including Just Stop Oil (JSO).

Timothy Morshead KC, for the sites, told a hearing on Tuesday that JSO “explicitly threatened a campaign of protest at the UK’s airports”, with the trio “among the last airports in the country not to be protected by an injunction”.

It follows several other airports including Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted, Luton and East Midlands being granted similar court orders last month.

In written submissions, Mr Morshead said that evidence from other airports “indicates that these (injunctions) have a powerful (and) deterrent effect”.

No members of Just Stop Oil or any other protest group attended the hearing in London and were not represented.

The court was told that JSO “appear to have been planning a campaign since at least early March 2024” involving protesters cutting through airport fences, glueing themselves to runways, climbing onto planes and staging sit-ins in terminals.

Mr Morshead said the threat of action “has already materialised” at airports including Stansted and Gatwick, which “alerted” the latest three sites to the need for an injunction.

In court, he described airports as “high-stress, high-activity environments, where there is a premium on normal behaviour and keeping the unexpected to a minimum”, adding that injunctions “are doing what the general law cannot” by preventing protests at the sites.

Mr Justice Jacobs granted the injunction, describing it as “materially the same as other cases”.

How long is the environmental protesters injunction at Birmingham Airport active?

The measure will be reviewed in 12 months.

A Birmingham Airport spokesperson said: “This injunction, granted by a court of law, is an additional layer of protection for thousands of hard-working passengers wanting to get away on well-earned holidays this summer, and beyond.

“We will take all measures available to us to ensure our operation and passenger journeys are not disrupted.”

A Liverpool John Lennon Airport spokesperson said: “We have acquired this injunction in order to minimise the risk of disruption for our passengers, many of whom will be choosing to fly from Liverpool to head off for a well-earned summer holiday break or perhaps to visit friends and families.

“We recognise that climate change is the greatest challenge for our generation and Liverpool John Lennon Airport is seeking to become a carbon conscious airport, aiming to decarbonise our operations by 2040 and to play our part in helping society’s transition to meet the overall target of a net zero carbon future by 2050.”

A Bristol Airport spokesperson said: “This injunction reduces the risk of our passengers having their holiday travel disrupted. Many of our customers save all year for their special family trip away, and we will do everything we can to make their journey as easy as possible.

“It will also minimise risk of disruption to those who rely on the airport for business travel.

“We strongly support the right to peaceful protest and have worked with activists in the past, so that they can make their case safely. However, action that could endanger our passengers and staff is unacceptable.

“Our region is at the forefront of developing new technology that will help decarbonise aviation.

“We achieved carbon neutrality status in 2021. In addition to our plans to achieve net zero for our own operations by 2030, Bristol Airport is working in unique partnerships with the aerospace sector to develop zero-emissions flight.”