Greenpeace Activists Disrupt Air Traffic at Geneva Airport

May 24, 2023

Geneva — Dozens of climate activists occupied the tarmac at Geneva's airport during a protest on Tuesday, disrupting air traffic for about an hour.

According to the Keystone-SDA news agency reporting from the scene, some activists had chained themselves to an aircraft.

Numerous flights were delayed and seven flights had to be diverted to other airports, an airport spokesman told dpa.

According to the police, about 80 people were arrested.

The environmental organization Greenpeace said the action was aimed at an aircraft trade fair for business jets taking place at the Geneva Airport until Thursday, stressing the fact that the protest was not intended to disrupt airport traffic.

"A small group of super-rich people is putting an excessive burden on the climate and the environment," Greenpeace representative Agnes Jezler said.

According to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development ( OECD), the aviation industry was responsible for 3% of global energy emissions of the climate-harming greenhouse gas CO2 before the Covid-19 pandemic, while in industrialized countries, the figure was 5%.

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