This morning a group of London Rising Tide activists, in the guise of bean counting civil servants, gathered at the offices of the Civil Aviation Authority, brandishing a massive cheque for £9.2bn made out to the airline industry from the government regulator.

The £9.2bn cheque represents the amount that taxpayers subsidise the
airline industry annually through tax-free jet fuel and VAT-free tickets
and planes (1) – and it’s the Civil Aviation Authority, supposedly the
industry regulator, that’s clearing these subsidies for takeoff, turning a
blind eye to the airlines’ climate crimes.

Protesters unfurled a banner reading Climate Armageddon Accelerators
outside the offices of the Civil Aviation Authority and three of them
entered the building to invite the director to come and sign the cheque.

Campaigning scientists were also on hand to present the case against the
aviation industry: it’s the fastest-growing source of greenhouse gas
emissions, and its appetite for ever more airports is destroying
communities and their residents’ health.

Today’s protest at the Civil Aviation Authority is part of a national day
of action against short-haul flights. People around the country are taking
action to show how unnecessary and environmentally damaging short-haul
flights truly are.

London Rising Tider Matt Cooke said, ‘We all know how serious the threat
posed by climate change is. Binge-flying cannot continue! 45% of all
flights in Europe are to destinations of 500km or less, journeys that are
possible by train. We will not stand by and let the aviation industry,
aided and abetted by the Civil Aviation Authority, trash the climate.’

For more information see
www.londonrisingtide.org.uk
www.planestupid.com

Notes for Editors

1. This means that every UK taxpayer effectively subsidises the aviation
industry by over £300 per year
( http://www.foe.co.uk/campaigns/transport/issues/aviation/index.html). The
figure of £9.2 bn is enough to buy over 30 new hospitals or build 2,000
new schools.)