Dozens of climate protesters staged a sit-in at Berlin's Tegel Airport, prompting police to quickly surround the area. The operation led to traffic jams and extra hurdles for passengers trying to reach the airport.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/F. Sommer
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Passengers trying to reach Berlin's Tegel Airport on Sunday were hit with delays after police blocked roads and enacted tighter security controls in response to a climate protest.
Around 50 members of the group "Am Boden Bleiben," which means "stay grounded" in German, gathered in the main entrance of Terminal A to hold a sit-in.
Another 80 people held a protest further away from the terminal but still on airport grounds, a police spokesman said.
Protesters dressed as penguins and threw paper airplanes around the terminal, calling for travelers to reconsider their short-haul flightsImage: picture-alliance/dpa/F. Sommer
Sunday's protest, however, was intended to be a symbolic act and not one that impeded travelers trying to catch their flights.
"Our protest is aimed at the airline industry and politicians — not against individual passengers," the group's spokeswoman told news agency dpa.
The demonstration had "no impact" on flights, according to an airport spokesman. Police also said the protesters stayed within the rules of not shouting over airport announcements or physically hindering passengers.
Although flights were not delayed, travelers had to overcome considerable hurdles to reach the airport.
As part of their security operation, police shut down the highway exit ramp leading to the airport, sparking a major traffic jam. Numerous passengers walked the remaining distance to the airport after leaving their stranded taxis on the road.
Police quickly surrounded the airport, prompting traffic jams and delaysImage: picture-alliance/dpa/F. Sommer
Long lines also formed at the airport as passengers waited for long-delayed buses to arrive.
Police also carried out extra security checks on people trying to enter the airport, sending away those who did not have plane tickets, local public broadcaster RBB reported.
The climate activists called for a stop to all domestic and short-haul flights, arguing that they are disproportionately responsible for CO2 emissions and other gases blamed on global warming.
Environmentally friendly air travel? Electric planes of the future
Flying in planes is bad for the climate. Do we need to give up flying for our environment? Not if electric planes being developed see success. Here's what the futuristic inventions look like.
Image: Eviation
Small, lightweight and emissions-free
Planes powered with renewable energy don't produce CO2 or other climate-damaging emissions such as nitrogen oxide and particles. They are smaller, lighter and more efficient than planes powered by kerosene. The Alpha Electro from the Slovenian start-up Pipistrel is already proving this since 2015, when it had its maiden flight.
Image: Pipistrel
Hop on the flying bus
Most companies and scientists see the future of electric planes in regional transport. The Israeli start-up Eviation plans to revolutionize commuting with their nine-seater. The prototype Alice can fly for up to 650 miles (1,000 kilometers), and will take to the sky in 2019 for the first time, according to the company.
Image: Eviation
Up, up and away
The flying taxi of the German company Lilium had its first successful flight in April 2017. The five-seater can take off and land vertically, has a reach of 190 miles and travels from London to Paris in just an hour. The goal of the company is for people to one day be able to order their flying cab via app for the price of a regular taxi ride.
Image: Lilium
A mix of old and new
Some plane manufacturers don't dare go all-electric just yet. In November 2017, Airbus, Rolls-Royce and Siemens announced they will jointly develop a commercial hybrid-electric prototype. The e-Fan X will be powered by three gas turbines and one electric motor. The companies aim to replace a second gas turbine with another electric motor at a later stage. A prototype is anticipated to fly in 2020.
Image: Airbus
Orange goes green
As part of British budget airliner EasyJet's plans to become more climate-friendly, it has entered into a cooperation with the United States startup Wright Electric. The goal is to develop a completely electric-powered plane for up to 150 passengers. It's not known yet when we can expect to see a first prototype.
Image: Wright Electric
Electric future
Experts believe that we could be flying in electric planes within 20 years. Various prototypes companies are working on have a range of a 155 to 650 miles. But technology is developing at an ever-faster pace. Who knows? One day, we might be able to travel around the world in emission-free planes completely powered by renewable energy. There's hope for all environmentally conscious travel addicts!
