Extinction Rebellion (XR) has filed a lawsuit against Amsterdam Schiphol Airport over an access ban imposed on 37 members of the organisation after they held an anti-aviation protest.
On March 21, 37 demonstrators from the radical climate action group were banned from Schiphol Airport for five to 10 years because of their protest against Dutch airliner KLM’s frequent-flyer programme.
In their lawsuit, the XR members claimed their right to demonstrate was being impacted and also complained about their members not being able to fly from the international airport.
“This procedure concerns an urgent matter, as the XR protesters who have been banned from entering the area are severely restricted in their right to freedom of movement,” the lawsuit stated.
“There is no legal process with sufficient safeguards in place to review the legality of the access bans and put an end to this unlawful practice. As previously noted, at least one XR protester who has been banned from entering has a plane ticket to depart from Schiphol Airport in the near future.”
XR’s lawyers demanded the lifting of the ban and a penalty of €10,000 per time if Schiphol infringed on the activists’ right to demonstrate.
According to the lawyers, Schiphol took the law into its own hands by imposing such a ban. “If there is a demonstration against a bank, the account is not closed. Nor is a driving ban imposed if someone demonstrates on the motorway,” they argued, while adding that the airport had not imposed bans in the past for similar protests.
“We fly as little as possible but sometimes there is no other option,” an XR spokesperson told news outlet NU.nl. “For example, if a family member abroad is ill. Or if you have to fly for work. Sometimes you don’t have a choice.”
Many see the group’s demands as ironic, as Extinction Rebellion Netherlands has undertaken several high-profile actions targeting aviation to protest its environmental impact, particularly focusing on the climate crisis and alleged fossil fuel subsidies. This has caused trouble for many travellers.
In early August this year, around 50 XR activists entered Schiphol’s main office site and set up tents to protest against the Flying Blue frequent-flyer programme, “which KLM uses to promote, normalise and reward excessive flying in the midst of the global climate crisis”, they claimed.
“The idea that flying is ‘normal’, ‘fun’ or ‘indispensable’ for an enjoyable, adventurous or relaxing holiday is outdated,” XR said in their press release.
The activists stood behind the security checkpoint and refused to leave.
Schiphol said it did not restrict anyone’s right to protest but that the activists had violated security regulations by having entered a secure area without valid reason and, in some cases, with a boarding pass that was not in their own name.
A spokesperson of the airport stated that the area beyond the boarding pass checkpoint was only accessible to passengers and people who worked there.
In November 2022 XR, in collaboration with Greenpeace Netherlands, staged a significant protest at Schiphol Airport when more than 500 activists blocked the private jet terminal by cycling around the area and physically obstructing aircraft for hours.
Similar actions followed in Groningen and Eindhoven, causing delays and costs for the airports.
A solar panel park near Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport has been ordered by a judge to remove 78,000 panels after they were found to be blinding aircraft pilots. https://t.co/cXwQS6w5Nd
— Brussels Signal (@brusselssignal) July 17, 2025
