1 Hundreds of protesters backed by about 100 municipal trucks disrupted domestic flights Monday in a protest against the noise and pollution from a new runway at Sydney's airport.
2 The protest leader, suburban Marrickville Mayor Barry Cotter, said more than 2,000 people joined in, but police estimated the crowd at about 400.
3 Garbage trucks and other municipal trucks from 11 nearby suburbs under the runway's flight path blared their horns and drove around the domestic terminal, blocking off traffic and hampering fliers.
4 Angry passengers had to drag their baggage hundreds of yards (meters) to the terminal, rather than be dropped off by cars, buses and cabs.
5 Cotter said the protest was a success. 'We didn't ever intend closing the airport - we just wanted to disrupt it.
6 'It was a peaceful demonstration and very effective as far as we're concerned.'
7 A spokesman for Qantas said the airline canceled four of the scheduled 31 flights, two to Brisbane and two to Melbourne.
8 Ansett donmestic airlines rescheduled one of its 37 flights, spokeswoman Jane Corbett-Jones said.
9 Most passengers interviewed who managed to trickle through the blockade admitted they had suffered some inconvenience but added that they agreed with the protesters' aims.

The protest leader , suburban Marrickville Mayor Barry Cotter , said more than 2 , 000 people joined in , but police estimated the crowd at about 400 .
joined
How did they participate? Was it peaceful?