Ten Just Stop Oil protesters have appeared at Westminster Magistrates' Court on Thursday charged with conspiring to disrupt Heathrow Airport.
They were arrested either at Heathrow Airport or nearby on Wednesday following a Europe-wide campaign threatening summer travel chaos.
The activists were charged with conspiracy to interfere with key national infrastructure under Section 7 of the Public Order Act 2003.
Eight were remanded in custody, including Sally Davidson, 36, Rosa Hicks, 28, Rory Wilson, 26, Luke Elson, 31, Luke Watson, 34, Sean O’Callaghan, 29, and Hannah Schafer, 60.
Two people - Julia Mercer, 74, and William Goldring, 27 - were bailed following their court appearance, with conditions that include not going within 1km of an airport without a ticket to travel.
Chief Superintendent Ian Howells, who led the operation, said: “This action was extremely reckless and would have represented a real risk to the travelling public.”
Internationally other environmental activists took action at a number of European airports with significant impact.
Elsewhere, demonstrators at Cologne Bonn Airport glued themselves to the runway causing chaos for travellers.
"That was just the beginning today. Over the next few weeks we will repeat this in Germany, Europe and globally," a member of the Last Generation activist group said in a media briefing.
Just Stop Oil added that supporters of Folk Mot Fossilmakta (People against Fossil Power) cut through a chain-link fence and sat next to a runway stopping flights departing from Oslo Gardermoen airport in Norway.
Extinction Rebellion supporters in Finland also reportedly blocked security gates at Helsinki Vantaa Airport on Wednesday morning.
Meanwhile in Spain, five supporters of Futuro Vegetal accessed the taxiway at Barcelona airport, but were intercepted before taking action.
In Switzerland, 11 supporters of Drop Fossil Subsidies blocked main roads around both Zurich and Geneva airports.
A Just Stop Oil spokesperson said: “We refuse to die for fossil fuels. Continued burning of oil, gas and coal, as we pass irreversible tipping points that threaten to spin our climate out of control in a rapidly accelerating way, is jeopardising the stability on which our entire society depends.
“This is not only irresponsible, it is an act of war against low lying island states and countries in the global south, who are already suffering devastating consequences as a result of our addiction to fossil fuels.
“Our political leaders must take action to protect our communities by working with other nations to establish a legally binding treaty to stop the extraction and burning of oil, gas and coal by 2030.”
Chief Supt Ian Howells said: “This type of action is completely unacceptable. The Met will continue to work with our national policing colleagues, airport operators and the wider aviation sector to safeguard the travelling public. Anyone who compromises the safety and security of our airports will face the full force of the law.”
