German politicians demanded better protection for the country’s airports after climate activists disrupted air traffic for the second consecutive day.
Supporters of Letzte Generation (Last Generation) briefly suspended flights on Thursday morning, demanding an end to fossil fuels by 2030.
Criticism of Disruption
German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser criticised the blockades as “dangerous, dumb and criminal”.
At the same time, she also criticised airport operators for not better securing their sites.
She said that those who block runways risk not only their own lives, but also endanger others and harm all travelers.
Faeser’s ministry wants to punish unauthorised airfield access with up to two years in jail
“Airport operators must do more to protect their facilities, and we are in close contact with the firms on this,” she said.
Impact on Airport Operations
Traffic at Frankfurt airport, Germany’s busiest, was halted temporarily on Thursday after activists blocked runways.
The activists said that they cut a wire fence, entered on bicycles and skateboards and glued themselves to the tarmac.
This happened a day after similar action affected Cologne-Bonn airport, the country’s sixth-largest.
Modus Operandi Of Activists
The activists said that the Frankfurt protesters were able to cut through a wire mesh fence to access the airport grounds.
The activists have vowed that the blockades are just the beginning of a campaign to exit oil, gas and coal by 2030.
Authorities have foiled similar actions at other European airports, including London, Vienna, Oslo and Zurich.
Plans For Similar Disruptions
Not only this, they have planned disruptions in several countries across Europe and North America in the coming weeks.
German flagship airline Lufthansa recommended that the judiciary and authorities take much more consistent action due to the immense damage to the economy.
That includes tough and swift penalties and increased police precautionary measures to prevent such offences, it said.
Better Protection
Roman Poseck, the opposition Christian Democrat (CDU) interior minister of the state of Hesse, called for a review of airport security.
Roman took aim at operator Fraport, which is responsible for external protection.
“We must do everything to ensure that intruders, activists and terrorists do not have access to our airports,” he said.
Conservative lawmaker Alexander Throm, wondered how it was possible to penetrate the security area of large airports within a few minutes.
Alexander further said, “The protection of critical infrastructure cannot be valued highly enough at the moment.”
He said he expected Faeser to prioritise protection, take concrete measures and support them with budget funds.
Fraport says that more than 30 kilometres of fencing is secured by technical systems and is regularly patrolled.
The interior ministry considers current protection standards insufficient, said a ministry source.
The ministry recommends that fences be made more resistant and supplemented with modern signal and video systems.
The ministry is coordinating with the federal states on regulation to better protect German airports.
