“Last generation”: Activists paralyze airport – tougher penalties demanded

After a three-hour blockade of Cologne/Bonn Airport by climate activists in the middle of the summer holidays, calls for harsher penalties have been made. “Anyone who violently enters airports, occupies runways and blocks aircraft is endangering human lives,” said Federal Transport Minister Volker Wissing (FDP) to the newspapers of the Funke Media Group. The Bundestag must now pass the planned tightening of the Aviation Security Act as quickly as possible. “By introducing prison sentences of up to 5 years for entering airports, we are giving judges a tool to make appropriate judgments,” said Wissing.

31 flights were cancelled, many others delayed

Climate activists had paralyzed air traffic at Cologne/Bonn Airport for about three hours in the morning. As a result, according to an airport spokesperson, 31 flights were cancelled, including 15 take-offs and 16 landings. Six flights had to be diverted. There were also an unknown number of delays. Only after the police had freed all five activists from the taxiway to which they had been stuck could air traffic be reopened at around 9 a.m.

A police spokeswoman said that criminal charges had been filed for violating the assembly law, dangerous interference with air traffic and trespassing. It must be investigated how the activists actually got onto the site.

International protest campaign against fossil fuels

The group Last Generation announced that several activists had cut through a fence and glued themselves to the asphalt near runways. The group announced via the X network that the action was part of an international protest campaign calling for an exit from fossil fuels by 2030. The protest would take place simultaneously at airports in more than ten countries, it said.

Airports are “the epitome of the climate catastrophe,” said Lina Johnsen, spokeswoman for the “Last Generation” in an interview with WDR5. Air traffic must be shut down, she stressed. “We cannot simply continue to pretend to be normal when it is no longer reality. And this is exactly the right place, exactly the right time, to protest at airports.” The form of protest of civil disobedience has proven to be an effective means of opposing governments “that are engaging in truly criminal behavior by destroying our livelihoods,” Johnsen continued.

The airport association ADV, on the other hand, criticized the action as “criminal.” “Each of these actions causes flight cancellations and delays – and that during the summer holidays,” said ADV General Manager Ralph Beisel. “Today’s incident shows that last week’s cabinet decision must be implemented as quickly as possible. There must be serious criminal consequences for this action.”

Federal government has introduced legislation

The federal government wants to tighten the Aviation Security Act to prevent radical climate activists and other troublemakers from carrying out dangerous actions at airports. The core of the planned reform, which the Bundestag still has to decide on, is the creation of a new regulation that criminalizes “intentional, unauthorized intrusion” onto the runway and the taxiway – especially if this compromises the safety of civil aviation.

“Sniffing glue for too long”

NRW Environment and Transport Minister Oliver Krischer (Greens) told the “Rheinische Post” that he welcomed the fact that the federal government had introduced the draft law: “I hope that this will deter such dangerous interventions in air traffic.” NRW Interior Minister Herbert Reul (CDU) told the “Rheinische Post” that many thousands of holidaymakers had suffered as a result of the action on Wednesday morning: “This is not only annoying, but also does a disservice to climate protection.” Sahra Wagenknecht wrote on “X”: “Anyone who thinks that children and families should be ruined when they fly off for their #summer holidays and that we could phase out fossil fuels by 2030 not only has glue on their hands, but above all they have been sniffing it for too long.”