According to German newspaper Bild am Sonntag, Lufthansa's subsidiary Eurowings is seeking €740,000 in compensation from Last Generation climate activists for losses caused by their protests organized at various German airports.
Earlier, climate activists protesting against the use of fossil fuels disrupted operations at Hamburg, Düsseldorf, and Berlin airports for several hours. In this regard, the management of Lufthansa announced that it would go to court to claim damages for canceled and delayed flights. Charter airlines Condor and Tuifly followed suit. They also demanded compensation for disruptions caused by climate activists at Dusseldorf airport.
Against this background, German Transport Minister Volker Wissing warned of amendments to the law that would toughen penalties for such protests. "Blocking airports to prevent them from operating goes far beyond legitimate protest. These are not minor offenses," he said.
Notably, 57 Lufthansa Group flights and 8,500 passengers were affected by protests at Hamburg airport on July 13, 2023. This caused a total of €400,000 in financial damage. Later, the company sent letters to ten defendants, demanding compensation. On the same day, 24 flights were canceled at Dusseldorf airport. The damage amounted to €220,000. The defendants in those two cases were ordered to pay compensation in an out-of-court settlement. Earlier, in November 2022, protests paralyzed air traffic at Berlin-Brandenburg airport, resulting in 35 canceled flights. The German airline reportedly sent a €120,000 bill to six defendants.
