Dozens of flights at Munich’s airport, Germany’s second-largest airport, were cancelled on Saturday due to a protest by activists from the “Last Generation” climate movement.
The protest caused a temporary halt to air traffic at the airport, leading to rerouting flights and widespread delays.
Airport spokesman Robert Wilhelm said the protests led to the cancellation of about 60 flights and the diversion of 14 planes to other airports.
He also stressed that despite the delays, all 140,000 passengers will be able to reach their destinations, noting that some will face delays in arrival.
The protests have severely affected movement at the airport, causing overcrowding of terminals, with German police responding quickly and arresting eight activists about two hours after the protest began.
German Interior Minister Nancy Weiser said in a tweet on the X platform that such actions endanger air traffic and harm climate protection efforts because of the divisions they cause.
For his part, the German agriculture minister stressed that the disruption of air traffic does not contribute to solving climate issues and called on activists to direct their efforts towards constructive dialogue rather than disruptive protests.
The “Last Generation” movement is a group of climate activists who are protesting to draw attention to climate change issues and the need for urgent action to protect the environment.
The “last generation” movement does not pose a threat to the democratic system, according to German statements, but there are attempts by far-left groups to influence the movement, and the movement is known for its protest methods such as sticking themselves to the ground of streets, highways and airport runways to draw attention to their issues.
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