Lufthansa Claims 740,000 Euros Compensation From Eco-Activists

Climate activists blocked runways at German airports.

The German airline Lufthansa is claiming 740 000 euros in compensation from climate activists from the Last Generation movement due to losses caused as a result of their protests at several German airports. The plaintiff is the airline Eurowings on behalf of all Lufthansa subsidiaries, the Bild am Sonntag newspaper wrote on Sunday, December 17.

According to the publication, citing its sources, some defendants have already received claims for compensation as the mediation dispute settlement attempt. None of them have yet paid the required amounts. At the same time, five people have already contacted the airline through their lawyers.

We are talking about the blocking of runways at the airports of Hamburg, Düsseldorf and Berlin-Brandenburg by Last Generation activists in November 2022 and July 2023, which led to delays, cancellations and transfers of many flights there.

The German government intends to toughen penalties for airport blockades

Bild am Sonntag also writes that German Transport Minister Volker Wissing supported claims by airlines against climate activists. “Blocking airports to prevent them from operating goes far beyond legitimate protest. These are not minor offenses. People are exposed to potential risks, and in addition, major economic damage is caused,” he said.

According to the publication, the German government is already developing amendments to the law that would toughen penalties for such protests. “We want to change the aviation security law. Punishments must be toughened as soon as possible,” said Wissing, who has already reached an agreement in this regard with the German Ministers of Justice and Internal Affairs.

The actions carried out by members of the Last Generation movement to draw attention to the problem of climate protection have become widely known due to their drastic methods. The eco-activists poured tomato soup on masterpieces of painting in the world's largest museums, doused the Brandenburg Gate and the office of the Federal Chancellor of Germany with paint, glued themselves to the roadway on busy highways and on airport runways, paralyzing traffic and disrupting civilian flight schedules. Some of the activists were fined and sentenced to imprisonment.