​​The latest move of the environmental activist group "Just Stop Oil" occurred on the morning of Friday June 20, when protestors broke into London Stansted Airport (STN) and sprayed private jets. The protestors were aiming to spray Taylor Swift's private jet, which was parked at the London airport. Swift is currently touring around England and Wales until Sunday. 

The Incident 

On the morning of Thursday June 19, protestors part of the environmental advocacy group “Just Stop Oil” broke into the private jet apron at London Stansted Airport (STN). The activists stated that their goal was to paint Taylor Swift's private jet orange to bring attention to environmental activism.

After breaking in, the protestors — later identified as Jennifer Kowalski and Cole Macdonald — proceeded to spray random private jets with orange paint dispensed from fire extinguishers. 

Within minutes of the activists setting foot on Stansted Airport's tarmac, police were on the scene and arrested the two women.  After the incident occurred, it was confirmed that Taylor Swift's private jet — a Dassault Falcon 7X — was not vandalized or on the scene where the environmental activists painted the private jets. However, Swift's jet was in fact parked at Stansted Airport.  

A video posted to X by Just Stop Oil showed how the activists broke into Stansted Airport. The video depicts one of the activists (either Ms. Kowalski or Ms. Macdonald) using what appears to be a small circular saw to break through the airport fence. The video goes on to show the activists spraying private jets orange. In the same post on X, Just Stop Oil claimed that the activists were "...demanding to end fossil fuels by 2030."

In response to the break-in, London Stansted Airport (STN) temporarily suspended runway operations for "a short period" while the situation was assessed, and no flights were disrupted. After the incident, the Chief Superintendent of the Essex Police - Simon Anslow - stated that police presence in and around Stansted Airport "will be heightened" following the incident. "…I would like to reassure passengers and the wider public that we are well prepared and resourced to deal with incidents of this nature…" stated Anslow. 

This latest protest is just one of many that have been carried out in the U.K. in recent weeks by "Just Stop Oil" protestors.  On Wednesday June 19, two activists were arrested after spraying the famous UK archaeological site of Stonehenge. 

In recent years, Taylor Swift has come under fire from environmental and climate change activists alike, who have criticized Swift's use (or what some might consider "abuse") of private jet travel.

A popular example frequently cited by critics to illustrate Taylor Swift's excessive use of private jets occurred last year when her private jet flew for just eight minutes between two airports in north Los Angeles. Another infamous example occurred in January of 2024 when Swift's private jet flew between Cahokia/St. Louis Illinois and St. Louis Missouri - a 13-minute flight.

In 2022, Swift "...topped a list of celebrities..." that produced the most private jet carbon emissions. According to her spokesperson, Swift purchases carbon credits to offset her jet use, but this cannot be confirmed. 

According to Just Stop Oil, "...Just 15 of people cause 50% of global aviation emissions. Private jet users are responsible for up to 14x [times] as much carbon emissions compared with a commercial flight. A single flight in a private jet can easily emit as much carbon dioxide as the average annual carbon footprint for an EU citizen..." 

Don't let these figures mislead you. Yes, aviation is the most carbon-intensive method of transportation. Yet, the aviation industry accounts for just 2.5% of the world's carbon emissions. The vast majority of emissions within the aviation industry come from commercial flights, but since commercial flights carry more passengers, the per-person CO2 and greenhouse gas emissions are lowered.