Chaos erupted this morning at Frankfurt Airport, Germany’s busiest, as climate activists staged a demonstration on a runway, forcing a temporary suspension of flights.
Of the 1,400 flights scheduled for today, 140 were cancelled, according to airport management and reported by the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. Airport authorities made eight arrests.
Fraport spokesman Christian Engel described the situation to the German newspaper Bild:
“The first landing and take-off runways reopened at 7am (local time). Air traffic is gradually resuming, with the first landings starting at 7 a.m. and take-offs possible from 7:20 a.m. We reserve the right to pursue legal action. The perpetrators face severe penalties as their actions endanger not only air traffic but also human lives.”
Climate activists from the group Last Generation blocked flights.
Earlier, Frankfurt Airport posted on Platform X advising passengers not to proceed to the airport and to check their flight status while allowing extra time to reach their destinations. This post was later deleted, and a subsequent update indicated that flight operations were gradually resuming.
According to Last Generation, its members breached the wire fence and reached the runways “on foot, others on bicycles and skateboards.” A photo released by the group shows a protester sitting on the tarmac waving a banner that read: “Oil kills.”
A police spokesman told Agence France-Presse: “We are doing everything to remove the climate activists from the runway.” The activists were finally removed after 50 flights had already been cancelled.
The group is urging Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s government to seek a global agreement to phase out oil, gas, and coal by 2030.
Yesterday, Cologne-Bonn airport, Germany’s sixth largest, also suspended flights for several hours due to a similar intervention by activists. Similar actions at other European airports have been thwarted by authorities.
Climate activists had thrown glue on a runway and sat on it, leading to flight cancellations. They entered Cologne-Bonn airport without permission, resulting in the cancellation of all flights.
A report in the British Guardian newspaper highlights that global aviation is responsible for nearly 2.5% of global carbon dioxide emissions, exceeding the annual carbon footprint of Brazil and France combined.
