Greta Thunberg has shut down a British airport demanding private jets be made illegal as she joins an Extinction Rebellion protest.
The Swedish activist is taking part in a climate protest at Farnborough Airport, against the airport's expansion and calling for a ban on private jets.
This comes as Farnborough Airport submitted plans to move from a cap of 50,000 flights to 70,000 flights per year.
The airport says this increase would meet the demand for business trips.
Greta Thunberg joined an Extinction Rebellion protest at Farnborough Airport
Reuters
But the climate protestors are instead calling for a total ban on private jets, which they say are up to 30 times more polluting than passenger planes.
Thunberg said: "We are today many people protesting against the Farnborough Airport expansion and against private jets.
"It is clear that private jets are incompatible with ensuring present and future living conditions on this planet.
"We are not going to let this continue. We are not going to let the rich few who are responsible for the majority of aviation emissions get away with sacrificing people and the planet in order to maintain their extreme lifestyles."
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The protest is calling for a ban on private jets
Reuters
She added: "The fact that using private jets is both legally and socially allowed today in an escalating climate emergency is completely detached from reality.
"There are few examples that show as clearly how the rich elite is sacrificing present and future living conditions on this planet so they can maintain their extreme and violent lifestyles."
Todd Smith, an Extinction Rebellion spokesperson and co-founder of aviation workers group Safe Landing, said: "The cost of heating our homes, buying food and paying our bills has increased massively.
"So imagine looking out our windows to see yet more private jets flying billionaires around.
"Is this a fair society that we live in, or is there one set of rules for the majority, and another for the elites? Plans to expand the UK's largest private jet airport seem to make this clear."
Farnborough Airport has claimed that the expansion would add £220million to the economy and create 950 jobs in the local area.
An airport spokesperson said: "[It's an] important gateway for business aviation connectivity with the majority of flights being operated for business and corporate travel purposes".
"The airport's environmental footprint is a fraction that of a traditional commercial airport, yet it serves as one of the largest employment sites in the region."
