Munich [Germany], May 19: Members of the German climate activist group Last Generation breached Munich Airport's tarmac and glued themselves to a taxiway, disrupting travel for more than 100,000 by forcing the airport to temporarily close on a busy holiday weekend.
The airport in southern Germany, the nation's second largest, shut down completely at 5.19am (0319 GMT) and remained so for nearly two hours, Bavaria's Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann said (CSU).
The airport association said more than 100,000 passengers were affected. Several aircraft had to be diverted to other airports. An aircraft with an emergency patient on board was only able to land 20 minutes late as a result, authorities said.
The new protest action triggered a wave of criticism from politicians.
"This was yet another absolutely brainless action by climate chaotic people. Interfering with air traffic with such blockades - and at the start of the travelling season - is not only reckless, but also potentially endangers the lives of many people," said Hermann, from the conservative Bavarian CSU party.
Interior Minister Nancy Faeser, writing on X, said, "Such criminal actions jeopardize air traffic and harm climate protection because they only provoke incomprehension and anger."
She called for the perpetrators to be "prosecuted and the protective measures at the airport must be reviewed."
The Last Generation reported on X that six people sat down in groups of two at different locations at the Munich Airport.
Source: Qatar Tribune