Airport Association ADV Condemns Disruptions, Calls for Legal Changes

The German Airport Association ADV (Arbeitsgemeinschaft Deutscher Verkehrsflughäfen) has strongly condemned the actions of activists who illegally entered several German airports on Thursday morning.

"Today's disruptions at several airports are a concerted act of criminal extortion," said ADV CEO Ralph Beisel in a statement. He emphasized that this is not peaceful protest or a pursuit of higher goals, but a malicious and illegal interference with air traffic and the personal rights of every traveler.

ADV is demanding consistent prosecution of these acts by the judiciary and urges the German Bundestag to swiftly approve a cabinet decision to tighten the Aviation Security Act. The association believes the legal loophole allowing intruders to evade prosecution must be closed.

However, the association confirmed that the airports' multi-stage security concepts functioned effectively. Beisel highlighted the functioning of fences, detection systems, and alarm chains, stating that rapid cooperation between airport operators, police, and air traffic control averted danger to employees and the intruders themselves.

ADV also sees media reporting as partly responsible for the situation. Despite all aviation stakeholders consistently pursuing climate neutrality, the "Last Generation" group receives significant media attention for their blockades. The association suggests that without media coverage, these criminal actions would not gain traction, turning airports into a "media stage" for the activists.