Hundreds of climate protesters blocked private jets from leaving Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport on Saturday in a demonstration on the eve of the COP27 UN climate meeting in Egypt.
Greenpeace and Extinction Rebellion protesters sat around private jets to prevent them leaving, while others rode bicycles around the planes.
Dewi Zloch of Greenpeace Netherlands said the activists want "fewer flights, more trains and a ban on unnecessary short-haul flights and private jets."
Military police said they arrested a number of protesters for being on the airport's grounds without authorisation.
Responding on Friday to an open letter from Greenpeace, Schiphol's new CEO Ruud Sondag said the airport is targeting "emissions-free airports by 2030 and net climate-neutral aviation by 2050. And we have an duty to lead the way in that," but conceded it needed to happen faster.
🚨 BREAKING: Hundreds of activists are PHYSICALLY STOPPING mega-polluting private jets from taking off from Amsterdam's main airport, @Schiphol.
— Greenpeace UK (@GreenpeaceUK) November 5, 2022
"We want fewer flights, more trains and a ban on unnecessary short-haul flights and private jets".
Who can disagree with that? pic.twitter.com/7UDeP1aTc2
More than 120 world leaders are due to attend this year's United Nations climate talks at the Red Sea coastal resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, beginning on Sunday.
Thorny issues up for discussion at the talks - which take place from November 6 to November 18 -include further cuts to greenhouse gas emissions and boosting financial aid for poor countries struggling with the impacts of climate change.
