In an unusual protest, a 43-year-old Paralympic medallist climbed on top of a British Airways plane at the London City Airport as part of ongoing climate change sit-ins.
James Brown, who is visually impaired, filmed himself clinging to the fuselage on Thursday as he streamed a live message online.
Metropolitan Police Commissioner Dame Cressida Dick described the action by the cyclist who won a bronze medal at the London 2012 Games as "reckless, stupid and dangerous". About 50 arrests were made at the airport.
Another man refused to sit in his seat, delaying a flight by nearly two hours, the BBC reported.
Both men had bought flight tickets and passed through airport security.
On the fourth day of climate change protests by Extinction Rebellion, disruption in the UK centred on London City Airport.
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Police arrested people blocking the airport entrance as others glued themselves to the floor.
Activists had been attempting a three-day "Hong Kong-style occupation" of London City Airport's terminal building to highlight what they claim is the "incompatibility" of the east London airport's planned 2 billion-pound expansion meeting the government's legally-binding commitment to go net carbon neutral by 2050.
Airport chief executive Robert Sinclair said flights ran largely on time or with slight delays, although two flights were cancelled.
Brown, from Northern Ireland, filmed himself sitting on top of an Amsterdam-bound plane which had been due to take off. He was booked on to the flight.
In a live stream posted on Facebook, he said it was "scary" because he hated heights, felt cold and hoped they would get him down soon.
"Oh man I'm shaking," he said. "This is all about the climate and ecological crisis. We're protesting at government inaction on climate and ecological breakdown. They declare climate emergency and do nothing about it."
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