The German airport association ADV has called for a decisive response following disruptive protests by climate activist group Last Generation at several airports on Thursday.
Ralph Beisel, CEO of ADV, called the protests that caused airport delays “a concerted act of criminal extortion.”
Beisel called the protests “crimes” that must be “consistently” sanctioned by the judiciary. He demanded that an approved cabinet decision be passed “immediately” by the Bundestag, or parliament, to tighten the Aviation Security Act.
The measure would allow for tougher penalties to prevent climate activists and others from carrying out dangerous protests at airports.
Last week, the ADV made a proposal to climate activists for a dialogue. In an open letter, the group recognized climate change as one of the greatest challenges of modern times.
The association said it wanted to inform climate activists in a conversation about the latest climate policies and measures that airports are taking, and discuss with them the impact of runway blockades on airport safety.
In a message on X, Last Generation said it would be happy to accept the offer for dialogue.
