At Germany’s busiest airport on Thursday, environmental activists caused major disruptions that resulted in the cancelation of 270 flights. The purpose of the planned demonstration was to raise awareness of climate change issues during the busiest summer travel season.
After protestors broke through security fences early in the morning, Frankfurt Airport announced that flights had been canceled for safety reasons. By 7:50 a.m. local time, operations had resumed. German news agency dpa said that by the evening, airport operator Fraport acknowledged that 270 of the 1,400 scheduled flights had been canceled.
Around five in the morning, according to police, seven people broke through the outer fence of the airport and entered the grounds, attaching themselves to different parts of the tarmac. An another individual affixed themself to the fence. Every one of the eight was in custody.
The protestors’ environmental organizations declared their intention to utilize airports throughout Europe this summer as a means of drawing attention to the link between climate change and fossil fuels, which are used in aviation. Governments are being urged to stop extracting and using fossil fuels by 2030.
Monday was the hottest day on record, according to climate statistics, highlighting the effects of climate change caused by humans. The International Energy Agency projects that this year will see a 7% increase in investments in oil and gas, despite international pledges to minimize the use of fossil fuels.