Frankfurt, Germany – Germany’s largest airport, Frankfurt, was forced to suspend both arrivals and departures on Thursday following a protest by climate activists who glued themselves to the runway. The airport, one of the busiest in the country and a crucial international hub, advised passengers to check their flight status due to what it described as a “walking demonstration.”
Although flight operations resumed and all four runways were back in service just a few hours later, a spokesperson for the airport reported that approximately 140 flights out of 1,400 scheduled had been canceled. The climate group Last Generation (Letzte Generation), which organized the protest, stated in a press release that six of its members used tools to cut openings in the airport’s wire fence before moving to various points around the runways on foot, bicycles, and skateboards. The activists also displayed banners on the tarmac reading, “Oil kills.”
Germany’s Interior Minister, Nancy Faeser, whose ministry seeks to punish unauthorized access to airports with penalties of up to two years in prison, referred to the demonstration as “dangerous, foolish, and punishable.” She added in a post on X (formerly Twitter), “These actions must be punished more severely. We have proposed strict prison sentences.” Police reported that eight individuals were arrested, according to the German news agency dpa.
The group is advocating for the German government to pursue a global agreement to phase out oil, gas, and coal by 2030 and has announced similar disruptions planned in several countries across Europe and North America. Last Generation is also part of the A22 network, which consists of groups committed to non-violent climate protests, and they intend to disrupt airports in various countries over the coming months.
According to Our World in Data, a research organization, global aviation accounts for about 2.5 percent of global carbon emissions and has contributed approximately 4 percent to global warming.
Thursday’s protest followed similar demonstrations that took place at several European airports, including London Heathrow, where several activists were arrested on Wednesday. In Vienna, Austria, four activists poured an orange substance in one of the airport’s halls while holding a sign that said, “Oil kills.” Activist Ronja Kuenkler told reporters that Wednesday’s protest was just the beginning and declined to comment on whether there were any plans for actions during the upcoming Summer Olympics in Paris in 2024, which starts on Friday.