Five people stuck themselves to the ground in the southern section of Saxony’s largest airport shortly after midnight, and two others were prevented from doing so, according to a spokesperson for the police.
Officers discovered holes in the fence at the edge of the site believed to have been made by the protesters. At around 5 am, the activists were released from the ground and removed from the tarmac. The ‘Last Generation’ group claimed responsibility for the disruption.
According to an airport spokesperson, cargo flight operations had to be suspended for around three hours from around shortly after midnight, while passenger flight operations began with some delays on Thursday morning.
A notice on the airport’s website said: “In the early morning of August 1st, several people illegally gained access to the security area at Leipzig/Halle Airport.
“Due to the resulting police action, flight operations were suspended from 12:24 am. The restrictions affected cargo traffic. Passenger flights do not take place at Leipzig/Halle Airport during this period due to a night flight restriction.
“Flight operations were resumed from 03:23. As a result of the police measures, there may be delays in the handling of passenger flights, which are scheduled to take off at 05:30.”
Some take-offs were hit with delays later in the morning.
Leipzig/Halle Airport says it is the fourth largest hub for air freight in Europe, handling around 1.4 million tonnes of freight every year.
The ‘Last Generation’ group said they wanted to make a statement on the tarmac against the increase in air traffic, the planned expansion of airport capacity and the lack of a plan by the German government to rapidly phase out fossil fuels.
Posts by the group on the X social media platform stated that the blockade primarily affected cargo traffic. They included photos and videos on several posts with signs that said: ‘Oil kills’. One tweet said: “We demand the development and signing of an international fossil fuel phase-out treaty.”
🌍🔥 Erdüberlastungstag – Flugverkehr in Leipzig/Halle gestoppt!
📣 Wir fordern die Entwicklung und Unterzeichnung eines internationalen Ausstiegsvertrags für fossile Brennstoffe. @_oilkills
1/7 pic.twitter.com/kd2hmIiye0
— Letzte Generation (@AufstandLastGen) July 31, 2024
The activists are now being investigated for unauthorised presence in the security area, trespassing and interfering with air traffic, said a spokesperson for the police.
Last week, climate demonstrators paralysed flight operations for several hours at both Frankfurt Airport and Cologne/Bonn Airport.
There was also a peaceful protest at Stuttgart Airport without any restrictions on air traffic.
As a result, several German airports say they will be taking extra security precautions.
READ ALSO: Why are Last Generation activists in Germany getting prison sentences?
With reporting by DPA
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