Munich bans climate protests following airport blockade

that could arise due to delays in emergency travel," the city said in a statement. It added that the events in recent days had made such action necessary.

Munich on Friday said it would ban all climate-related gatherings aimed at blocking key roads and other areas for at least a month, a day after some activists glued themselves to the tarmac of the airport of Germany's third-largest city and disrupted flights, according to local media. The general order, running from Dec. 10 until at least Jan. 8, is aimed at ensuring "that the main routes for emergency and rescue vehicles in the city area are kept clear at all times and to avert possible harm ... that could arise due to delays in emergency travel," the city said in a statement.

It added that the events in recent days had made such action necessary. Climate activists took their protest against cheap air travel to two of Germany's largest airports on Thursday, including Munich, in the latest effort by activists to raise awareness by blocking runways and streets in Germany.

Activists from the Last Generation environmental group in a statement called on the government to stop subsidising air travel and expand cheap train travel offers instead.