Munich Airport Cancels 60 Flights After Climate Activists Breach Airfield Security

Over 100,000 passengers’ travel plans were thrown into chaos this weekend after six climate activists sneaked into Munich Airport and glued themselves to the runway. According to the federal police, this caused the cancellation of 60 flights and diversions of over a dozen, as the airport was completely closed for several hours because of the security breach.

The protest, which took place during the Whitsun holiday, a hectic time for travel in Germany, was undertaken by the coalition group Letzte Generation (Last Generation). The climate protest group claimed the stunt was intended to highlight to the German government that they have not taken action to minimize the airline industry’s environmental impact.

According to ABC News, the activists broke through a security fence before exiting the runway to complete their stunt. Once airport authorities spotted them, swift action was taken to divert aircraft and cancel flights before officials arrested the six individuals.

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The protesters belonged to a group called The Last Generation.

Trespassing onto airport grounds

This is not the first time this climate activist group has caused chaos at German airports, with blockades on the runways at Berlin, Dusseldorf, and Hamburg in 2022 and 2023. Lufthansa subsidiary Eurowings encountered severe delays last year because of the disruptions and claimed the group should pay up to €120,000 ($130,000) in reparation. Letzte Generation is known for gluing themselves to the ground to block traffic and has done so on roads and other airports throughout the country.

Photo: Flughafen München GmbH

Looking at the legal ramifications of the group move, German Airports Association General Manager Ralph Beisel has called for harsher penalties for those who break into airports and told the German Press Agency, DPA:

“Trespassing in the aviation security area is no trivial offense. Over hundreds of thousands of passengers were prevented from a relaxed and punctual start to their Pentecost holiday.”

Many other German officials have taken to their social media platforms to condemn the group’s actions, causing widespread anger at the major disruption they caused on such a significant holiday for Germans. The German Interior Minister, Nancy Faeser, stated on X (translated from German):

Photo: Anton_Ivanov/Shutterstock

Faeser also praised Munich Airport and the local police for handling the situation and bringing orders back to the airport so passengers could continue their travel plans after the airport was closed for two hours.

Were your travel plans affected in Munich? Let us know in the comments.