Six people were enough to temporarily paralyze one of Europe’s largest airports. Climate activists from the group “Last Generation” used small pliers to make holes in the fence surrounding the airport area and stuck themselves to various places on and around the airport’s runways.
Air traffic had to be temporarily suspended on Thursday morning. Operations could only be resumed in the course of the morning.
Around 170 of the 1,400 flights scheduled for Thursday in Frankfurt had to be cancelled, an airport spokesman announced this morning. There were delays in operations for the rest of the day. Six flights to and from Vienna were also cancelled.
Vienna: Disruptive actions on Saturday?
Vienna Airport itself is not currently affected by any disruptive actions. On Wednesday, however, four people held a demonstration in the check-in area of Terminal 3 and spilled a colored liquid. Passenger traffic was not restricted, however. Further disruptive actions in Vienna are announced for Saturday.
However, the airport management announced in a statement that they are “well prepared for all eventualities”. 670 police officers are on site. In addition, the area is being monitored with drones.
In Germany, activists from the “Last Generation” had already temporarily brought air traffic to a standstill at Cologne/Bonn Airport on Wednesday. Thirty-one flights were cancelled there on Wednesday morning. Six flights had to be diverted.
Parallel to the disruptive actions, the group “Last Generation” published its demand to the German government to “help shape and sign a legally binding international agreement that regulates the global phase-out of oil, gas and coal by 2030”. The action is part of international protests in Germany, the USA, Great Britain, Austria, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Canada, Sweden, Finland, Spain and Norway.
German Transport Minister Volker Wissing (FDP) called for “maximum severity”. “We have already initiated the toughening of penalties for such criminal activities,” said Wissing. Interior Minister Nancy Faeser (SPD) called the actions “dangerous, stupid and criminal”. Such acts must be “punished more severely,” she also said. “We have proposed severe prison sentences.”
Vienna Airport also announced that it would prosecute and report any disruptive actions and pointed out the high prison sentences that could result from disrupting flight operations or endangering passengers, aircraft or employees.
