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Greenpeace activists disrupt air traffic at Geneva airport

DPA WORLD
Published May 23,2023
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Dozens of climate activists occupied the tarmac at Geneva's airport during a protest on Tuesday, briefly disrupting air traffic.

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.

The environmental organization Greenpeace said the action was aimed at an aircraft trade fair for business jets, taking place in Geneva until Thursday.

"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%.