Alverca put forward as alternative to Montijo airport

A former Lisbon mayor has suggested Alverca would be a better bet to site Lisbon’s new international airport.

António Carmona Rodrigues who is also a specialist in airports will present an alternative plan for a new airport hub for the capital based in Alverca next week.
According to Jornal Económico this project which would be an alternative to the one being considered for an airforce base at Montijo will be presented on 23 October at the Lisbon City Foundation in Campo Grande, Lisbon.
The proposal from a group of specialists including the former mayor an ex-president of the APA will argue that the Alverca option would be capable of processing 75 million passengers while Portela would be turned into a secondary airport for medium-course flights.
At the moment the solution on the table is still Montijo on the south side of the River Tagus. The airports authority ANA and the State signed an agreement on 8 January to increase the capacity of the current city Humberto Delgado airport and turn the airforce base at Montijo in a new Lisbon airport at a cost of €1.15Bn to be paid by 2028.
But the existing choice has attracted loud opposition from environmental groups who say that one of Europe’s most important preserved wetlands for migratory birds would come under threat.