Government approves airport study

The government has given the go-ahead for a strategic environmental impact study to support the best location for Lisbon’s new international airport.

The measure was approved on Thursday by the Council of Ministers and announced by the Minster for Infrastructure and Housing, Pedro Nuno Santos.
The study will choose the best location for the airport which is likely to be at either Montijo or even more likely, at Alcochete on the south side of the River Tagus at Lisbon. A third site near Santarém is now unlikely to be selected.
The study should be concluded by the end of 2023.
Moreover, a proposal for a law to clarify the involvement of municipal councils was also approved in the “proceedings for the construction, extension or modification of an aerodrome, to clarify that the prior appraisal of the viability (study) on the construction of airports from the municipal councils consultants are not binding”, according to the Secretary of State for the Presidency of the Council of Ministers.