BERLIN – Six climate activists jumped a security fence at Munich airport on Saturday and stuck to the runway access roads, temporarily paralyzing flights.
The members of the Last Generation group were protesting against aviation, the most polluting mode of transport, German news agency dpa said. Police arrested the six activists.
Some 60 flights were canceled during the disruption, which lasted a couple of hours, and passengers were re-accommodated on other flights, airport spokesman Robert Wilhelm told dpa. Fourteen flights due to land in Munich were diverted to other airports, according to police.
In a post on the social network X, Last Generation accused the German government of “downplaying” the negative effects of flying on the environment instead of “finally acting with sincerity.”
Interior Minister Nancy Faeser criticized the protests and called for them to stop. “These criminal actions threaten air traffic and harm climate protection because they only cause incomprehension and anger,” she wrote on X.
Fraser also applauded police efforts to restore order at the airport and called for a review of airport security measures.
Transport Minister Volker Wissing said his agency was already working to tighten existing laws.
For his part, German Airport Association CEO Ralph Beisel sharply criticized the activists’ actions.
“Breaking into an aviation security zone is not a trivial offense. More than hundreds of thousands of passengers were prevented from a relaxed and punctual start to their Whitsun vacation,” he told dpa.
Beisel also called for tougher penalties for activists who engage in such initiatives.
Last July, climate activists paralyzed flights at Hamburg and Düsseldorf airports for several hours.
In January, Last Generation – known for sticking to the streets to block traffic, which has angered many Germans – said it would abandon the tactic and switch to holding what it calls “disobedient assemblies.” Her actions have been widely criticized, with Chancellor Olaf Scholz describing them as “complete madness.”