Hemel pilot joins Valentine’s Day protest from Extinction Rebellion at Luton Airport’s private jet terminals

A Hemel Hempstead former pilot has joined a Valentine’s Day campaign to call for the banning of private jets at Luton Airport.

Todd Smith is a member of Extinction Rebellion who with its affiliated groups blockaded the entrances to Luton Airport’s Harrods Aviation and Signature private jet terminals this morning to demand the government take urgent action to ban private jets, tax frequent flyers and make wealthy polluters pay.

The action on Valentine’s Day is to highlight the rise in the use of private jet flights for supposedly romantic Valentine's Day dates and the general rise in the use of private jets, campaigners say.

They claim private jets are around 10 times more energy-intensive per passenger than commercial planes and 50 times more energy-intensive than trains.

Extinction Rebellion’s blue boat Polly Higgins is blocking all three gates to Luton Airport’s Signature Terminal with protestors locked on to the deck and hull of the boat.

Another group of protestors is barricading the entrance to the Harrods Aviation Terminal, with one activist locked onto two oil barrels.

Luton Airport said the action was not impacting on its main terminals and flights were continuing as normal.

Activists are gathered at both terminals dressed in hi-vis jackets, holding flags and banners in the style of airport signs, and wearing pink vests reading "LOVE IN ACTION".

The protest is part of a global co-ordinated action by climate activists across 11 countries which was launched last week and is targeting sites in Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and the US.

"Valentine’s Day should not have to cost the Earth, or the taxpayer," says former airline pilot-turned climate activist, Todd Smith. "The people want a ban on private jets, as Climate Assembly UK demonstrated in 2020. But nothing has been done. I can only assume the government has ignored the will of the people to protect the interests of their rich mates. We are here today to make them listen."

The protestors are also calling on the nation to join them on April 21 as part of peaceful protest, dubbed The Big One, which aims to bring at least 100,000 people to Parliament to call for a citizen-led transition away from fossil fuels.