Germany is introducing tougher penalties for airport intrusions in a bid to deter disruptive and costly protests by climate activists.
The new legislation, passed by the German cabinet in mid-July 2024 and now awaiting Bundestag lawmakers’ approval, will bring in two-year prison terms for people convicted of trespassing on “airside” areas of airports and interfering with civil aviation. It will also dish out the same for anyone found to have helped others to access such sites. Aggravated instances of airport incursion, such as doing so armed, or carrying other banned objects or substances, will attract longer jail sentences of up to five years.
Berlin Brandenburg Airport said on Thursday that flights were resuming with some delays after it was earlier forced to close its runways as climate protesters broke into the site and some of them glued themselves to the tarmac.
— ANews (@anews) November 25, 2022
#berlin #germany #climateprotest #anews pic.twitter.com/cjKEX4I4pi
New risk of jail time
Custodial sentencing for illegally entering airport property is new in Germany. Up until now, such acts of intrusion have only been punishable by fines. But faced with growing civil disobedience by climate change protesters, the country is looking to update its Aviation Security Act to reflect the increased risk of “intentional, unauthorized intrusion”, the danger it poses to life, and the havoc such events cause in the leisure travel and business sectors.
“Anyone who intrudes on airport premises, glues themself to runways and massively obstructs air traffic by doing so isn’t just risking their own life,” Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said in a statement. “Such incidents are also dangerous for many people who aren’t involved, for instance when there are medical emergencies.”
Commenting on his hopes for the proposed law, Transport Minister Volker Wissing said, “this tightening of the law will deter activists and that there will be no disruptions during the current peak travelling season.”
Climate protesters have blocked one of the two runways at Munich International Airport (MUC/EDDM) in Germany, forcing it to close temporarily.
— FL360aero (@fl360aero) December 8, 2022
It is a similar protest by the "Last Generation" group that took place in Berlin earlier.#airport #activist #aviation #avgeek pic.twitter.com/m1stpdkVqh
Lufthansa seek damages after “Last Generation” protest
But, just a week after the Cabinet rubberstamped the new rules, “Last Generation” activists at Frankfurt Airport made an incursion onto the runway where they glued themselves in an act that is becoming increasingly common among climate change protesters as a way to illustrate the idea that “physical circumstances cannot be negotiated.”
The action also raises huge awareness of climate issues by creating mass disruption – something some argue to be counter-productive to the cause. Operations were halted at Frankfurt for three hours, leaving around 19% of flights cancelled, according to airport authority, Fraport, as well as colossal queues and thousands of delayed and distressed passengers.
Lufthansa has already filed for losses against climate activists, having entered claims totalling €740,000 for previous protests at Hamburg, Düsseldorf, and Berlin airports. The German flag carrier is now anticipated to ask for even more damages from the climate group after the Frankfurt incident.
