Vienna Airport in Schwechat is taking measures for next Saturday to ward off possible disruptive actions by the climate activist group “Last Generation”. Vienna Airport CEO Günther Ofner announced this at a press conference on Tuesday. The activists of the “Last Generation” previously announced protest actions at airports in several countries, including Austria, for Saturday, July 27.
Ofner said that 670 police officers were on site “on full alert” and were also monitoring the area with drones. The almost 24 kilometers of airport fence could not be protected without electronic surveillance. Although security is a high priority at Vienna Airport all year round, for Saturday there were “special measures in response to the announcement.” He hoped that this would prevent major problems. Ofner also emphasized that “the Austrian penal code protects the safety of air traffic in a special way” and pointed out the severity of the punishment for disruptions to air traffic.
Permanent video surveillance
In response to an APA query, the Lower Austria State Police Directorate said that “further personnel-related precautions have been taken” due to the calls and announcements. The airport area is permanently monitored by video and electronically. “Both police officers and airport security staff continuously patrol and monitor all security-relevant areas.”
The police also pointed out that such disruptive actions could result in serious criminal consequences. The actions could be considered a deliberate endangerment of aviation safety (Section 186 of the Criminal Code) and could result in a life sentence. In addition, the “significant economic damage caused by such disruptive actions” could lead to “personal claims for damages against those involved”. In addition to the legal consequences, uncontrolled entry into the airport’s operational area also poses a “serious risk of injury for the people involved”.
The climate movement’s activism has so far focused on blocking roads, and intervention under the Criminal Procedure Code was “hardly necessary,” stressed the Lower Austria State Police Directorate. In general, the executive branch is proceeding according to the so-called 3D principle. Dialogue and de-escalation are planned first, and only then enforcement, i.e. the removal of people and barricades.
