Government chooses Alcochete for the location of the New Airport

Humberto Delgado Airport will only remain operational while the New Luís de Camões Airport is not operational

The Council of Ministers decided to locate the New Lisbon Airport at Campo de Tiro de Alcochete and temporarily maintain the Humberto Delgado Airport, increasing its capacity until the New Lisbon Airport (NAL) is operational.

The Government also decided to name the new airport after the poet Luís de Camões.

NAL will be the region's only airport, when fully built and operational, and should be designed to be able to expand (accommodating long-term demand), stimulating agglomeration economies and integrated with other accessibility projects.

The recommendations, in line with the Humberto Delgado Airport (AHD) Concession Contract, are for a base model based on 2 runways (with capacity for 90 to 95 movements per hour) and the possibility of expanding up to 4 runways, for a traffic estimate of passengers that could exceed 100 million in 2050.

Single airport

The option for a single airport makes it possible to mitigate the environmental and social impact in the Lisbon region, since the two-airport solution doubles the negative environmental effects and the single solution is located in areas with low population density. Lisbon is the 2nd European capital with the most inhabitants exposed to aeronautical noise.

This choice also allows it to accommodate TAP's expansion plans, whose preliminary projections are 190-250 aircraft in 2050.

NAL will act as a catalyst for economic activity in the Arco Ribeirinho Sul area, due to the intermodality between airport, railway and highway with access to Sines (developing the national logistics hub).

Alcochete

The Government concluded that the Alcochete Shooting Range has advantages over Vendas Novas as it is located entirely on public land (Vendas Novas requires expropriations, representing additional burden), it already has an Environmental Impact Statement (currently expired), it has greater proximity to the center of Lisbon (requiring less travel time and costs) and is closer to the main roads and railways (allows traffic to be removed from the center of Lisbon).

The total cost for two runways is €3,231 M (first runway) and €2,874 M (second runway), totaling €6,105 M. The first runway should be built in 2030 and the second in 2031.

The Government is negotiating with the Concessionaire to shorten the deadlines for ANA to bid for the new airport, as stipulated in the concession contract.

The second part of the decision is to promote the increase in capacity at AHD to reach 45 movements per hour and investments in terminals and accessibility, in accordance with the ANA concession contract.

The AHD is in a situation of operational congestion, having been above the limits defined by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) since 2018.

The complexity of operations results in delays and low ratings in passenger service ratings, with 3.5 out of 5 in the service quality questionnaire in 2023. Departure punctuality was 52.2% in 2022.

It is imperative to respond to growing demand in the short term, which projections point to 39 million passengers in 2030.

Finally, the project is integrated with the High Speed ​​Rail Lines (LAV), allowing AHD to capture passengers from underlying air routes and improve access to Francisco Sá Carneiro Airport as a preferred airport for passengers in the Central region.