Thousands of demonstrators marched through the streets of Copenhagen, Denmark's capital, on Saturday, to protest against the noise-pollution of the airport, and press for quicker progress in the building of a new one further away from built-up areas.

The Danes plan to build a new airport on the island of Saltholm, which is well out to sea midway between Copenhagen and Malmo, Sweden. But the project is expensive because of the need to build a tunnel from Copenhagen for access. The new airport is not expected to be completed for at least ten years.

In the meantime, complaints are increasing from the people round the present airport, which was begun in 1925 on the island of Amager, within Copenhagen.

SYNOPSIS: Thousand of demonstrators marched through the streets of Copenhagen, Denmark's capital on Saturday, to protest against the noise-pollution of the airport, and press for quicker progress in building a new one further away from built-up areas.

A girls' band led the procession to the airport buildings, on the island of Amager, within Copenhagen. The airport was originally built in this area in 1925, since when it has grown immensely. In recent years there has been an increasing number of complaints from the 200,000 people living round it about the noise problem created by jet aircraft.

These demonstrators, like many in Britain, believe that the way to solve the problem of airport noise is to move the airport away from the population out to sea. The Danish plan is to build a new airport on the island of Saltholm, which is well out to sea midway between Copenhagen and Malmo, Sweden. The demonstration was well organised, had police permission, and was important enough for the Lord Mayor of Copenhagen Urban Hansen to attend.

However, when the speeches were over and the demonstration was officially at an end, about a third of the demonstrators moved to the airport building and carried on their protest, more disruptively inside. Airline staff looked on as the spectacle developed. Meanwhile the big jets, the cause of all the protests, landed and took off as usual.

Once inside the buildings, the demonstrators resorted to that well-tried and trouble some tactic, the sit-down protest.

Others ran wild up and down the escalators and through the corridors, as the police took steps to eject them.