Government makes new airport site at Alcochete official
The government’s decision to build a new Lisbon international airport at Alcochete has been made official today after a Council of Ministers resolution was formally published in the State circular Diário da República.
Also published was a resolution on continued studies for the construction of a third crossing over the River Tagus and for the high-speed rail link between Lisbon-Madrid. All of the resolutions officially become government policy from tomorrow.
As had been announced earlier this month, the government decided to choose a former army shooting range at Alcochete, 42 km from Lisbon on the south side of the River Tagus at Alcochete, to eventually replace the current Humberto Delgado International Airport near Portela in Lisbon. It will be called the Luís de Camões Airport and ends 50 years of speculation and scores of reports into a planned new International airport.
The official announcement now paves the way for negotiations with the concession holder ANA – Aeroportos de Portugal which manages the country’s main 11 airports (Portugal has 25 in all including regional airports an aerodromes) held by the French group Vinci.
The next step will be an application for the new airport that will include a consultancy report, an environmental impact study, a financial report, and a technical report, all of which could take up to 36 months.
A second government resolution foresees “measures to up capacity at Humberto Delgado with a plan of phased investments to improve infrastructure to accommodate more capacity (45 landings and take-offs per hour) until the new airport is ready.