To the Heathrow airport community
Current situation
The environmental group Reclaim the Power are planning to protest against airport expansion this Saturday 1 October at Heathrow. We expect the height of protest activity to be between 12:00 and 15:00.
The protest is likely to include:
• A group 'die in' protest in one of our terminals in which protesters lie down on the floor at the same time, creating a visual effect and potentially an obstruction
• An unspecified group action at one of our landside 'passenger process' locations such as check-in or security, creating a visual effect and potentially an obstruction
• A cycling protest departing Sipson at 12:30, riding in a red convoy along an unknown route, led by marshals in high-vis jackets. This may disrupt traffic in the airport perimeter or one of our surrounding roads
• Potential for other direct action protests within the airport perimeter by other affiliated groups
Operational update
The following additional measures are being implemented tomorrow:
• A joint Heathrow and Metropolitan Police command and control structure will be in place tomorrow to respond to any protest action
• Silver and Bronze incident response and incident management teams will be active throughout Saturday
• Additional Police and Security resources are being deployed to key locations across the airport
• Extra Heathrow Passenger Ambassadors and 'Here to Help' colleagues will be present in all terminals
Protest guidance - what to do if confronted by a protester
We take the safety and security of our airport colleagues, partners and passengers very seriously. Please remember to follow this guidance if you find yourself confronted by protesters:
• Try to remain calm
• Call our operations centre APOC on XXXX from a Heathrow landline or XXX to report the protest. Save the APOC number to your mobile phone now
• Do not touch or tackle the protesters or attempt to remove anything in their possession
• Do not make comments or engage them in conversation
• If you are in a vehicle, close all windows and lock the doors. If your vehicle is blocked do not try to move it if there is a possibility of injuring people - stay inside the locked vehicle and wait for the Police
• Protesters may place themselves at risk by climbing on or attaching themselves to structures. Do not follow protesters into a dangerous situation
• Try to ensure your valuables and any company related documentation are secured - but do not put yourself at risk in order to do so
Remember: you may be being filmed by the protesters and any abusive language or actions may be used against you.
Media guidance - what to do if approached my the media
If you are approached the media, always politely refer them to the Heathrow Press Office by calling 0208 745 7224.
• Do not speak to media, even ‘off the record’
• Never speak on behalf of Heathrow or our airlines
• Do not agree to an interview or to be photographed
• Do not answer ‘can you just confirm / deny’ type questions
• Do not put your hand in front of the camera or say ‘no comment’
Be aware that members of the public may also pass on any comments made. Always consider the questions you are being asked carefully.
Travelling to Heathrow tomorrow
If you are rostered on shift tomorrow please plan ahead to make sure you’re able to come to work as normal. Rail and tube services are not expected to be affected but there may be disruption to local roads or the tunnel.
Keeping you and our passengers informed
We will keep you informed by email throughout the day about any significant protest or developments.
The Heathrow Twitter feed will keep passengers informed of any significant disruption to ther journey and FID screens will display the message below throughout the day:
Thanks for working with us to help keep Heathrow running for passengers.