New airport infrastructure on the south bank should be operational by 2034. Humberto Delgado will be dismantled.
After 50 years of studies and analyses, the location of Lisbon’s new airport has been chosen: Alcochete. On Tuesday 14th May, the government of Montenegro approved the construction of the new infrastructure at the Alcochete Shooting Range, following the recommendation of the Independent Technical Commission (CTI). The future international airport in the capital is due to come into operation in 2034, after which the current Humberto Delgado airport will have to be dismantled.
“The government has decided to approve the development of Lisbon’s new airport with a view to fully replacing Humberto Delgado Airport on the Alcochete firing range and naming it Luís de Camões Airport,” announced Luís Montenegro in a statement to the nation after an extraordinary meeting of the Council of Ministers held on Tuesday.
It was on 11 March that the CTI published the final report of the strategic environmental assessment of the new airport, maintaining the recommendation of a single solution in Alcochete, the most advantageous, or Vendas Novas, also pointing out that Humberto Delgado + Santarém could be a transitional solution.
For the Prime Minister, the option for a single airport is the “solution best suited to the country’s strategic interests”. “Alcochete, in particular, guarantees room for physical expansion, accommodating demand up to almost three times the current level, safeguarding the maintenance and possible growth of the TAP hub in Portugal,” Luís Montenegro defended.
The construction of the new airport in the capital – as well as the associated investment – will be the responsibility of the concessionaire ANA. The government will not charge the state budget “one euro” for the development of the airport in Alcochete, said Miguel Pinto Luz, Minister of Infrastructure and Housing. The cost of its construction, estimated by CTI, was around 6.1 billion euros, but the Executive admits that the investment should be higher.
TAP, ANA and mayors applaud decision
On learning of the government’s decision, the mayor of Alcochete, Fernando Pinto, said he was “pleased because, although I’m not in Alcochete, but given the proximity of the town of Alcochete to the epicentre of all the decisions, I understand that the collateral damage of this investment is positive for my land and my people”.
For his part, the mayor of Benavente, Carlos Coutinho, guaranteed that the municipality “is ready and willing” to welcome the new airport for the Lisbon region and “serve the country’s interests”. “This is certainly good news for the Benavente region, because it will ensure development and improve the living conditions of our population […] and we are prepared to receive an infrastructure of this nature,” said the Benavente mayor, speaking to Lusa.
The CEO of TAP, Luís Rodrigues, also welcomed the government’s decision on the new airport in the Lisbon region, calling for construction to take place “as quickly as possible and with the minimum of obstacles”. “The new airport has a very long history and we’re not all proud of it. Having a decision and a process starting now, I think it’s healthy for everyone and I’m glad it’s happening,” said Luís Rodrigues, speaking to journalists in London, where he was celebrating the 75th anniversary of the Lisbon-London air link.
For its part, ANA Aeroportos says that it is available to work immediately on the government’s decision to go ahead with an airport in Alcochete and to increase Portela’s capacity until the new infrastructure comes into operation. ANA has therefore guaranteed that it will “follow through with the process of developing this decision, under the terms of the Concession Contract”.
Pedro Nuno Santos, secretary-general of the PS, also welcomed the government’s decision, considering that “Alcochete was the best location”. And he noted “the unequivocal support of the PS” for being able to go ahead with the solution in Alcochete”. “The PS’s support was important for us to guarantee this stability over time so that we don’t go backwards,” said Pedro Nuno Santos, pointing out that Portugal has been “waiting more than 50 years to decide the location of the airport”.
What is the future of Humberto Delgado airport?
For the time being, Humberto Delgado airport will have to be remodelled in order to increase its capacity. The government has drawn up a works plan for Portela airport, “which will fulfil the investments that have been postponed in order to improve the services already provided and add to them investments that will allow for a greater operational capacity of movements per hour”, they reveal in a note published on the government’s official website.
But as soon as the new Alcochete airport comes into operation in 2034, this infrastructure will have to be dismantled. With this in mind, the Minister for Infrastructure and Housing has promised to evaluate ways of reusing the land where Lisbon’s Humberto Delgado Airport is currently located with local authorities, associations and even residents.
“Those grounds, let there be no doubt, have to be decontaminated: there was an airport infrastructure that worked there for almost a hundred years, but it is possible, we will find, together with the mayors of the region, with the central state, with the various associations, with residents of the surrounding area, a way to reuse that space,” he assured.
Miguel Pinto Luz also argued that, “in close dialogue with Lisbon City Council, the Portuguese state, the various ministries”, “a new centrality” could be developed on the Portela land where Humberto Delgado airport is currently located.
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