A day after members of the activist group “Last Generation” paralyzed operations at Berlin-Brandenburg Airport (BER), airports across Germany are faced with the question of whether they need to further increase their already high security requirements.
At BER, the mission will now be evaluated and then a decision made as to whether the processes can be improved, said a spokesman.
Corinna Budras
Business correspondent in Berlin.
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Timo Kotowski
Editor in Business.
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On Thursday afternoon, two groups of several activists each cut through the security fence around the airport area and gained access to the airport area.
Some glued themselves to the ground, others rode bicycles across the site.
As a result, Berlin Airport had to stop operations on both runways.
Five flights had to be canceled and 15 flights diverted.
The intrusion of the activists was quickly reported via the security system, which includes video surveillance as well as sensor and radar systems.
In addition, the fence, which is around 30 kilometers long, is secured by a joint patrol of federal police and airport employees.
It took an hour and a half to ensure that no one was on the airport grounds without authorisation.
A spokesman made it clear that at no time were people on the runways.
There is no such thing as 100% protection
The targeted operational disruption is now to be examined in detail.
In aviation circles, the impression has so far been that the protection system at BER "worked well".
After the unauthorized cutting through of the fence, the alarm chains were sent to the police, air traffic control and airport operators.
The fact that security forces were not there two minutes earlier was probably due to the fact that for safety reasons they could not cross the runways with their vehicles, but had to drive around them.
Still, the activists' incursion into Berlin raises the question of whether it could be repeated elsewhere.
The airport association ADV stated: “The ADV has absolutely no understanding for the protest actions of the 'last generation' at BER airport.
It is unacceptable if air traffic safety is jeopardized.” At German airports, reference is made to existing measures that have been steadily tightened to protect against terrorist attacks.
"We have always been in contact with authorities, the federal police and the state police to secure the airport site," said a spokesman for Germany's largest airport in Frankfurt.
However, there is no 100% protection against penetrating the barriers, it is also admitted in airport circles.
This is also due to the sheer size of the area to be monitored.
Even the relatively small BER has the size of 2000 soccer fields.
What's more, compared to previous terror threats, the actions of radical environmentalists have been rather unusual.
While terrorists generally seek to remain undetected, activists seek publicity.
After cutting through the fence, they unfurled a banner, filmed their act and broadcast it on the Internet.