Extinction Rebellion’s climate protest at Eindhoven Airport caused one cancelled flight and eight delayed outbound flights, says Mark Harbers, the Minister of Infrastructure and Water Management.
In answers to VVD parliamentary questions about the protest action, the minister said there was no danger to air traffic. “A group of about one hundred and fifty people decided not to demonstrate at the designated spot and to gain access to the non-public, civilian part of the airfield by cutting open a fence”, the minister wrote.
The local authority decided not to act against the action during the demonstration, but to keep the demonstrators away from the military part of the airport, as well as away from the part of aircraft landing and taking off. “Eindhoven Airport, the Royal Military Police, and the police have indicated that there was no danger to air traffic,” Hareebrs says.
Damage
Because of the protest, Eindhoven Airport had already decided to cancel one flight as a precaution on Friday. The minister informed that there was a delay of a maximum of 108 minutes to the eight outbound flights on the day itself. No damage was done to the airport other than the gate being cut open. The minister finally said it is up to the airport to see how much of the damage to the fence they can recover from the activists.
Source: Studio040
Translation: Chaitali Sengupta. She also gives online INBURGERING classes.
