Climate Protesters Bring Berlin Airport Traffic to a Standstill by Gluing Themselves to Runway

Lufthansa airplanes are seen at the Terminal 1 of the new Berlin-Brandenburg Airport 'Willy Brandt' in Schoenefeld near Berlin, on Oct. 29, 2020. (Hannibal Hanschke/Reuters)

Berlin Brandenburg airport was briefly shut down on Thursday after a group of climate demonstrators broke in and glued themselves to the runway in protest over greenhouse gas emissions.

The airport was forced to close its runways for takeoff and landing for nearly two hours after protesters from the Letzte Generation (Last Generation) environmental group broke onto the site and stuck themselves to the tarmac while others rode bicycles across the shunting area.

Protesters denounced the aviation industry and urged the public to stop traveling by air, while also calling on the government to stop subsidizing air travel.

“Airoplanes [sic] are no means of transport for common people. 80 percent of people never ever went anywhere by plane. Only one very wealthy percent is responsible for about of emissions caused by air traffic,” Letzte Generation said in a statement on Nov. 25 alongside video footage appearing to show three of the protesters breaking into the airport’s grounds through a wire fence.

Authorities said they deployed security personnel to detain the protesters who had gained access from both the northern and the southern sides of the airport.

“In an airport area that is not open to the public, we encountered several people who had previously gained unauthorized access and some glued themselves [to the tarmac],” Berlin police said on Twitter.

The airport has since reopened but is running with delays, the airport said on Nov. 24.

“Flight operations have resumed on both runways. But there are still delays. We ask for patience,” airport officials said.

Chancellor Criticizes Protesters

Letzte Generation, which describes itself as the “last generation that can still stop the collapse of our society” said its protesters had informed police of their plans to enter the airport and stage a demonstration before doing so.

They also urged the government to expand cheap train travel offers.

It is unclear how many flights were delayed because of the protests, however the Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg broadcaster reported that around 13 flights had been diverted to airports in the eastern state of Saxony by 6 p.m. local time.

This is not the first time that Letzte Generation has staged public protests, with the group having conducted dozens this year alone.

Earlier in November, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz criticized the group after some of its protesters glued themselves to a busy road in Berlin, bringing traffic to a standstill and preventing an emergency services vehicle from reaching a critically injured female cyclist. The woman later died.

Reuters contributed to this report.