UK: Drone protests threaten UK's Heathrow Airport with more flight chaos

After problems caused by a two-day BA strike, London Heathrow is set to be plunged into further chaos this week, with climate crisis protesters planning to disrupt Europe's busiest airport on Friday. Activists from Heathrow Pause, an extension of the Extinction Rebellion movement that brought central London to a standstill earlier in 2019, plan to fly drones within Heathrow's five kilometer exclusion zone, starting at 3 a.m. -- three hours before scheduled flights begin. They say they'll fly at "regular intervals throughout the day," in a bid to ensure that no aircraft will be able to take off or land all day. Activists will give an hour's warning before each flight, and no drone will encroach on flight paths. On average, 1,200 flights pass through Heathrow every day. If the protest takes place, it's likely to cause major problems for an airport that will only just be recovering from the effects of the recent airline strike. Potentially adding to the chaos, several airlines operating in and out of Heathrow have said that the airport has yet to brief them on the situation, despite claims to the contrary. For passengers, it could mean more misery -- and they're unlikely to be eligible for any compensation if their flights are delayed or canceled, according to UK consumer group Which?. Heathrow has vowed to keep the airfield open, using drone detection and "dynamic risk assessment programs." But UK law enacted in March 2019 states that any drone flying within 5km of an airport risks endangering aircraft.<br/>