2024-07-27 08:54:24
The “Last Generation” movement has announced a major protest at Vienna Airport, scheduled for 11 a.m. tomorrow, the Austrian Radio and Television website reported. It remains to be seen whether there will be any air traffic restrictions.
“We’re going to make a lot of noise and cause a stir,” said the group “Last Generation” on social networks about their large-scale action at the Vienna airport. According to the spokesperson of the protest movement, rallies will be held and citizens are invited to take part in the protest.
Whether there will also be attempts to forcefully penetrate the runway, as recently happened at the airport in Frankfurt, for now “Last Generation” does not specify. In any case, the airport authorities and the police have been preparing for this. 670 police officers are on “full combat alert”, according to Vienna airport chief executive Gunther Offner.
Due to the size of the airport, full control of the airport fence would be a challenge, says police spokesman Raimund Schweigerlechner: “We have police officers in uniform and civilians patrolling the airport. Airport security is also on standby. We use drones and a police helicopter to provide fairly complete surveillance.”
An update on possible problems will be posted on the airport’s website on Saturday. In the event of air traffic disruptions, passengers are advised to contact the relevant airline.
Incidents from the last few days, for example in Frankfurt or Cologne, are being analysed, says Schweigerlechner. The operating concept at Vienna Airport has been adapted accordingly. “It is not clear what will happen on Saturday. It’s a big rally announced on social media. But, of course, we are also prepared for any other form of activism and have specialists from various fields,” says Schweigerlechner.
If climate activists actually get on the airport runway and stick to it, they will face serious penalties, says Offner: “They face a sentence of one to ten years. If there are injured people, the penalty is 20 years. And if someone dies, even life imprisonment.”
Protests by climate activists have led to restrictions on air traffic at several airports in Europe. On Thursday, for example, climate activists cut a hole in the barbed wire fence at Frankfurt airport and gained access to the runway. They then stuck to the fence and paralyzed air traffic. A total of 270 flights were canceled as a result, including six flights between Frankfurt and Vienna.
Climate activists from the “Last Generation” staged a protest at Vienna Airport on Wednesday, spilling orange paint on Terminal 3. However, this did not affect air traffic, BTA reports.
Airport authorities and police advise passengers passing through Vienna Airport tomorrow to allow sufficient time for their journey and to check the status of their flight in advance.