The Independent Technical Commission (CTI) must submit to the Portuguese government, by December 31, the report with the conclusions of its work, indicating the best solution for the future airport from the region of Lisbon.
The Portuguese President of the Republic said on Wednesday ” optimistic “ to see the first stone laid by the end of his mandate for the new Lisbon airport, the construction of which has been planned for more than 50 years. “For the first time…), I will just say that today I am optimistic because I feared arriving at the end of the mandate without even having started to lay the first stone of the airport (…) probably at the end of the year”he declared Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, in Albufeira.
The Independent Technical Commission (CTI) must submit to the Government, by December 31, 2023the report with the conclusions of its work, indicating the best solution for the location of the future airport in the Lisbon region in the face of saturation of the current airport Humberto Delgado, located in the north of the Portuguese capital. Then, a decision will have to be made, which is apparently not so simple in Portugal as we discuss the “airport issue for 50 years”lamented the Minister of Economy, António Costa Silva, before concluding that “Portugal cannot transform itself into a society of indecision”.
Asked about the subject of a new airport in the Lisbon region, Tim Clark, boss of Emirates, defended the idea of a large Lisbon airport. For him, the new Lisbon airport is a problem that must be resolved, instead of politicizing the debate, and that it is to the Portuguese capital that international airlines want to fly. “This is an important problem for Portugal, (…) we must recognize it, address the issue, instead of politicizing the debate. Do it, build it and they (the airlines) will come”said Tim Clark, in an interview with Lusa, Espresso And Eco, on the sidelines of an international meeting on aviation, which is taking place in Lisbon.
Asked about the different options analyzed, the president of the airline United Arab Emirates pointed out that “it is towards Lisbon that the international aeronautical community wants to go”, because that’s where its market is. The limitations of Humberto Delgado Airport, where Emirates has “two precious slots”are, according to the manager, a issue for all Airlines companies. “If you want to build another airport, build it. Build it big enough”underlined the president of the airline, adding that it is a “fantastic opportunity” to make an airport technologically advanced and efficient in terms of carbon footprint.
