Airports in Germany suspend flight ops after climate activists block runways

Berlin,UPDATED: Aug 15, 2024 12:44 IST

Two German airports have temporarily suspended flights on Thursday morning after climate activists breached the airfields as part of a larger protest targeting four airports nationwide.

The Last Generation campaign group said in a statement that activists had stopped or reduced traffic at the Berlin, Cologne-Bonn, Nuremberg and Stuttgart airports and published pictures of activists with their hands glued to the tarmac.

The Nuremberg airport said on its website that flights were suspended until further notice since 0342 GMT and warned that passengers would face delays, while the Cologne-Bonn airport said on social media platform X that flights are currently suspended while police are dealing with "unauthorised persons."

Police were on site at the Berlin airport and were able to remove the two protesters, who had entered the airfield by cutting through a fence, and flight operations were unaffected, said a police spokesperson.

A Stuttgart airport spokesperson was not immediately available for comment.

The group has listed several countries across Europe and North America where they said similar disruptions are planned as part of a protest campaign calling for the German government to pursue a global agreement to exit oil, gas and coal by 2030.

German politicians have demanded better protection for the country's airports after climate activists were able to breach fences and disrupt air traffic, including at the country's busiest airport, Frankfurt, for two days in a row last month.