According to the group Last Generation, the activists gained access to the airport site through the security fence.
(Photo: dpa)
Frankfurt In the middle of the holiday season, climate activists from the Last Generation group glued themselves to the runways at Hamburg and Düsseldorf airports on Thursday morning. Because take-offs and landings are currently not possible, flight operations have been suspended until further notice, Hamburg Airport announced in the early morning.
Flight operations resumed around 10:00 a.m. There were also restrictions on air traffic in Düsseldorf. According to a police spokeswoman, the trajectories there are now free again. Nevertheless, passengers should expect delays in the next few hours, said an airport spokeswoman.
The action hits Hamburg on the first day of the summer holidays. According to its own information, the airport in the Hanseatic city actually expects around 330 take-offs and landings around 50,000 passengers. But because of the action, 17 arrivals and 19 departures had to be cancelled. Even after the end of the police operation, there could be flight cancellations and delays throughout the day, the airport management said.
At the same time, activists stuck to Düsseldorf Airport. According to a dpa photographer, six or seven people were on the access road to the runway in the morning.
It is not the first action of this kind. A few months ago, activists from the group had already affected flight operations in Berlin and Munich. After that, they had focused more on private jet air travel. On twitter wrote the environmental protection activists about the actions: “We are protesting against the government’s lack of planning and breaking the law in the climate crisis.”
According to their own statements, the activists cut through a fence in Hamburg to get to the apron of the airfield. A spokesman for the police situation center confirmed the procedure. The action heats up the debate about security at airports.
Absolute security at airports is hardly possible
However, protecting German commercial airports is not easy. In total, around 350 kilometers of fence enclose the relevant airports. According to the airport association ADV, these fences can reach up to 40 kilometers in some cases. In addition, they often run through forests and across fields. Making these massive stretches absolutely safe is almost impossible.
The German legislator and the European aviation authority EASA stipulate that airport operators must erect a fence 2.50 meters high at their own expense. This is then secured in cooperation with the federal and the respective state police.
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This shows that it is not the sole responsibility of the operator to secure the airport. However, the actions of the climate activists show that there is a need for action. Because if members of the group can easily get over the fence, terrorists can do that too. While the passengers and crews are meticulously checked at the front before they enter the security area, wire cutters are sufficient for access at the back.
Police officers stand on the airfield and try to detach activists from the Last Generation group from the asphalt after they have stuck themselves.
(Photo: dpa)
To change that, more than three quarters of all airports are planning to upgrade their fence systems. This is the result of an ADV survey among members at the beginning of the year. For example, a simple chain link fence can be replaced by stable bar mats.
There are also more sensors and video surveillance. More staff patrolling the fences is also an option. On average, ADV estimates investments of around one million euros per kilometer.
According to the dpa, there are significant disabilities due to the action.
(Photo: dpa)
At the same time, the ADV points out that it is a “dangerous intervention in air traffic” if the secured area of an airport is entered without permission. This could result in a prison sentence of up to ten years. There is also trespassing and property damage.
“Climate protection needs solutions for society as a whole: innovation instead of prejudice,” says Ralph Beisel, General Manager of ADV. The transformation of aviation into a sustainable mode of transport has long since begun with clean fuels, hybrid technology and hydrogen-based drives.
More: $4.5M Civil Disobedience: Who Funds The Climate Activists?