BERLIN, July 13 (Xinhua) -- Climate activists disrupted operations at Germany's two major airports, Hamburg and Dusseldorf, for hours on Thursday morning.
At Hamburg, Germany's fifth busiest airport, 22 arrivals and 28 departures had to be canceled at the start of summer holidays, with further cancelations and delays likely to follow throughout the day.
Operations at Dusseldorf, the largest airport of the most populous German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, resumed around midday with restrictions after interruptions.
Several people had "gained unauthorized access to the airside airport area and stuck themselves on the tarmac near the southern runway," the operator said in a statement.
"We condemn in the strongest possible terms these law-breaking actions by Last Generation (a group of climate activists), which can now be considered attacks on civil aviation," Ralph Beisel, chief executive officer (CEO) of the German Airports Association (ADV), told Xinhua on Thursday.
Previously, climate activists had already blocked major airports in Germany several times in late 2022. They have also repeatedly broken the law in other actions, such as disrupting road traffic, smearing art or occupying government buildings.
At the beginning of the year, two Last Generation activists sparked an outcry when, instead of appearing in court, they took a plane trip to Southeast Asia. They were accused of double standards because their long-haul flight released large amounts of CO2.
German Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Action Robert Habeck criticized the airport blockades. "The activists, who are now blocking many people's vacations, are doing massive damage to the cause of climate protection," Habeck told the German news agency dpa on Thursday.
This form of protest is not right, the minister added. "If you really want to stand up for climate protection, you have to take social acceptance into account."
In addition to climate protest actions, sporadic strikes are again threatening air travel in Germany and other European countries this summer, but to a lesser extent than last year, when there was international flight chaos during the peak travel season.
Quick wage settlements with various occupational groups brought relief in the matter. In late June, security staff at Europe's busiest hub, London's Heathrow Airport, called off strikes that were planned to last over 31 days this summer. ■
