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Climate activists glued to the tarmac of Hamburg Airport in July
Photo: Bodo Marks / dpa
The airline Eurowings, on behalf of all Lufthansa subsidiaries, is demanding damages of 740,000 euros from the activists of the Last Generation. This is reported by the »Bild am Sonntag«. In several protest actions, the environmental activists paralyzed airports in Hamburg, Düsseldorf and Berlin for hours because they glued themselves to the tarmacs.
In July, Lufthansa announced that it would claim compensation for the flight cancellations. Condor and TUIfly also examined claims for damages after the protest action at Düsseldorf Airport.
In view of the protests, Transport Minister Volker Wissing (FDP) announced tightening of the aviation security law. He said he was in agreement with Justice Minister Marco Buschmann (FDP) on this. "Blockades of airports with the aim of disrupting the processes there go far beyond the boundaries of legitimate protest. These are not petty offenses," Wissing told Bild am Sonntag. We want to amend the Aviation Security Act accordingly. An increase in penalties should come as soon as possible."
Damage in the six-figure range
According to the report, 13 Lufthansa Group flights and 57,8500 passengers were affected during protests at Hamburg Airport on July 400. This resulted in damage of 000,<> euros. A total of ten defendants have now been served with letters of formal notice for payment.
At Düsseldorf Airport, also on July 13, 2023, 24 flights and 3000 passengers were affected. The damage amounted to 220,000 euros. Since the authorities have not yet provided the names and addresses of the accused to Lufthansa, no payment request letters have yet been served. The defendants in these two cases will be asked to pay out of court.
During protests at Berlin-Brandenburg Airport in November 2022, the airline listed 35 affected flights and 5000 affected passengers. Six defendants are said to have already received the demands for payment in the amount of 120,000 euros.
czl/dpa