Montijo airport: Environmental concerns

A patch and mend project to deal with overcapacity at Lisbon’s international airport has passed another hurdle towards approval.

The construction of the airport at Montijo has been given the ‘all-clear for takeoff’ in terms of the project’s environmental impact. A study, undertaken by the company Profico Ambiente, has suggested Lisbon’s second airport at the former Montijo Portuguese airforce base, has removed obstacles to the project.

The environmental report on the project dubbed “Portela +1” – because it falls short of Portugal’s need for a purpose-built, state-of-the-art international airport for the 21st century – was delivered by the Portuguese airport company ANA – Aeroportos de Portugal to the government on Wednesday. The impact report will also be studied by the Portuguese Environmental Agency (APA).

An increase in tourism fuelled by Portugal’s booming tourism industry, security and competitiveness in terms of other holiday and second home destinations in North Africa, has led to international airports upping the number of flights and services to Portuguese airports over the past five years with the Portuguese Tourism Board (Turismo de Portugal) reporting a record 20 million visitors from tourism or business to the country in 2017.