Last generation: Climate activists at airports – Cologne/Bonn ceases operations

The climate initiative Last Generation has started protests at several German airports, temporarily disrupting flight operations. According to the organization, two activists each wearing orange safety vests entered the airports in Berlin-Brandenburg, Stuttgart, Nuremberg and Cologne-Bonn. DPA photographers on site confirmed the events.

At Cologne/Bonn Airport, flight operations had to be suspended this morning due to a police operation following the protest. This was announced by an airport spokesman. Flight operations in Nuremberg were also temporarily suspended, according to a police spokesman.

According to the statement, the organization said the activists “expressed their opposition peacefully by displaying banners reading ‘Oil kills’ and ‘Sign the treaty’.” “They did not enter the runways.”

The Last Generation is calling for radical climate protection, including the complete abandonment of coal, oil and gas. They are calling for the conclusion of an international treaty to this effect. Since the beginning of 2022, the group has been organizing road blockades in which participants glued themselves to the road. In the meantime, however, they had announced that they would change their strategy and refrain from gluing themselves to the road in the future. The climate activists have also recently carried out several disruptive actions at airports, including at Germany’s largest airport in Frankfurt at the end of July.

Tougher laws should deter

The federal government wants to tighten up the Aviation Security Act in order 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.