According to a report in “Bild am Sonntag”, the Lufthansa Group is demanding damages of 740,000 euros from the activists of the climate protection group Last Generation. The background was disruptive actions by activists that brought the airports in Hamburg, Düsseldorf and Berlin to a standstill for hours.
Lufthansa had already announced claims for damages through its subsidiary Eurowings. “Eurowings will claim material damages for the airlines of the Lufthansa Group that were caused by the actions of activists at the airports in Berlin, Düsseldorf and Hamburg,” it said in October. No information was given about the amount. The company declined to comment on the newspaper report over the weekend.
High claims for damages
According to this, 57 Lufthansa Group flights (LH, Eurowings, Swiss) and 8,500 passengers were affected during protests on July 13th at Hamburg Airport. This resulted in damage amounting to 400,000 euros.
Also on July 13, 2023, 24 flights and 3,000 passengers were affected at Düsseldorf Airport. According to the newspaper, damage here: 220,000 euros. During protests at Berlin-Brandenburg Airport in November 2022, the airline listed 35 flights and 5,000 passengers. According to “Bild am Sonntag”, six suspects have already received requests to pay 120,000 euros.
With their protest, the activists wanted to point out the negative climate impacts of air traffic. In all three actions, members of the group were arrested after getting stuck on the runways. The police had started investigations against the people who are now eligible for compensation claims. According to previous information, the airlines Condor and Tuifly are also examining claims.
Transport Minister Volker Wissing (FDP) announced that the aviation security law would be tightened. He agreed with Justice Minister Marco Buschmann (FDP) on this. “Blockades of airports with the aim of disrupting the processes there far exceed the limits of legitimate protest. These are not trivial crimes either,” Wissing told “Bild am Sonntag”. An increase in punishment should come as quickly as possible.
