- Climate protest during holiday season: sticker action at Nuremberg Airport
They entered through a self-cut hole in the fence: Two climate activists temporarily disrupted operations at Nuremberg Airport on Thursday morning.
The two activists from the group "Letzte Generation" entered the airport grounds around 5:30 AM, according to police reports. The two women, aged 24 and 28, glued themselves to the apron - the area between the ramp and the runway. Flight operations had to be temporarily suspended.
The airport fire department removed the glue; the two women were initially taken to the border police station. They have since been released, a police spokesman said.
Flight operations disrupted for over an hour
Operations resumed around 7:00 AM. The first flight departed at 7:10 AM, an airport spokesman said in Nuremberg. "Ultimately, passengers are the ones who suffer."
Operations were disrupted for about an hour and 15 minutes. A total of nine flights were affected. A flight from Frankfurt to Nuremberg was canceled due to the action, as was the return flight to Frankfurt. Six flights were delayed, one was rerouted to Prague but also arrived late in Nuremberg. "Everything is back on schedule," the airport spokesman said.
Hole in the wire mesh fence
Investigations suggest the activists cut a hole in the wire mesh fence surrounding the airport. Corresponding tools were found at the scene. A dpa reporter on site reported finding two bolt cutters near the hole in the southern part of the apron.
The two women are now being investigated for criminal damage, coercion, and trespassing.
Action during summer holidays
The action took place during the Bavarian summer holidays. During this time, there are significantly more flights, with around 120 to 140 takeoffs and landings compared to around 80 to 100 outside of the holiday season, the airport spokesman said. "We have full flight operations," a police spokesman also said. Many people were traveling for their holidays.
While there was no immediate danger to anyone, such an action always creates a dangerous situation, the airport spokesman explained. There is a risk to life near the turbines of airplanes, which can extend up to 50 meters behind the aircraft, depending on the engine.
Interior Minister: Action "absolute nonsense"
Bavarian Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann (CSU) sharply criticized the action. "The highly dangerous and radical actions of the climate chaos activists are absolute nonsense. This is anything but 'peaceful resistance', as always claimed by the self-proclaimed climate protectors." He found it shocking how "unteachable, stubborn, and reckless" they were.
"With such blockading actions, they are least helping their supposed goal of climate protection. Instead, they are ready to endanger the lives of others. Alongside severe penalties, there should also be substantial claims for damages from the airport companies and operators," the minister said.
Disruptions nationwide
"Letzte Generation" reported several disruption actions at airports nationwide. Two activists in orange safety vests entered the airports in Berlin-Brandenburg, Stuttgart, Nuremberg, and Cologne-Bonn.
They peacefully expressed their resistance by displaying banners reading "Oil kills" and "Sign the treaty", the organization reported in a statement. "The runways were not entered." In Nuremberg, for instance, they remained on the taxiway.
Call for complete abandonment of coal, oil, and gas
The group demands radical climate action, including the complete abandonment of coal, oil, and gas. They call for the conclusion of an international treaty to that effect. Since early 2022, the group has organized road blockades where participants glue themselves to surfaces.
However, they have since announced a change in strategy, vowing to no longer use glue. The climate activists have recently carried out several actions at airports, including Germany's largest in Frankfurt at the end of July.
Faeser: "These criminal actions are dangerous and foolish"
Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser (SPD) also sharply condemned the glue actions. On the X platform, she referred to a planned tightening of the law that the cabinet had approved in July. "These criminal actions are dangerous and foolish," Faeser wrote. "We have proposed significant prison terms. And we are requiring airports to secure their facilities much better."
The German government wants to deter radical climate activists and other disrupters from dangerous actions at airports through an amendment to the Air Security Act. The core of the planned reform, which still needs to be decided by the Bundestag, is the creation of a new provision that makes the "intentional, unauthorized intrusion" onto the taxiway, runways, and other critical areas a punishable offense - if it endangers the safety of civil aviation.
The activists' actions led to a disruption of flight operations for over an hour, causing several flights to be delayed or canceled. Due to the activists' demonstration, they had temporarily cut a hole in the wire mesh fence surrounding the airport.
