After the first half of the year 2020, nothing has progressed in the project for the new airport planned for Montijo.
Even in the midst of a pandemic, in which the aviation sector experienced a profound drop in activity, easing the pressure that was being noted on Humberto Delgado airport, several space specialists in the sector believe that this should be the occasion to speed up the process, not just to prepare the country for the recovery that is expected after the pandemic, but also to liven up the economy with the start of this project, one of the most extensive planned for the coming years in our country.
However, after the Portuguese Environment Agency (APA) had given the project a 'green light', in an officially known position on January 23, nothing progressed in this venture.
ANA must submit a project that respects the mitigating measures imposed by the APA, but before that, the chambers impacted by the project must all be unanimous in granting favorable opinions to the project.
And so far, the communist autonomous authorities of Seixal and Moita have refused to give their agreement.
Even with this 'Ok', it will still be necessary afterwards the National Civil Aviation Authority (ANAC) to issue a favorable technical opinion in the area of aeronautical safety, a delicate issue, in particular for the risk of collision of airplanes with birds ('birdstrike') ) due to the Tagus estuary.
There are several obstacles that the Government is facing in the development of this project, but the first step is to convince the mayors of Seixal and Moita.
Yesterday, at the hearing of the Parliamentary Committee on Economy, Public Works and Innovation, the Minister of Infrastructure, Pedro Nuno Santos, acknowledged the existence of a “blockade” in this 'dossier'.
“We think that Montijo's airport should move forward. Because, obviously, we are at a standstill moment, of great braking in the aviation sector, but our expectation is that it will recover and that, obviously, we need to respond to a problem that already existed before Covid, the overcrowding of the our Humberto Delgado airport. And, therefore, for us, it is fundamental ”, acknowledged the Minister of Infrastructure.
And Pedro Nuno Santos stressed that "there is still an issue to resolve".
“Opinions from the municipalities are needed. There are a number of municipalities in the area affected by the airport, positively and negatively, that have not yet changed their position [municipalities of Seixal and Moita]. We have already had contacts, we have already made proposals to try to address some of the concerns, but there has not yet been a change on the part of the municipalities ”, revealed the government official.
Pedro Nuno Santos lamented after the legislation that allows only one municipality against the project to stop its progress. “The legislation we have in force imposes favorable opinions from all these municipalities. We have this block that remains to be resolved. We are trying to solve it in the best way with the municipalities. Ultimately, we would, of course, need Parliament, to rethink the way in which decisions are made and conditions the decision for an infrastructure of national importance, such as an airport, but it is the legislation that we have. And so far, we also didn’t think there was a willingness to change. Therefore, we depend on the favorable opinion of some municipalities. And, therefore, we have a decision on an infrastructure of national importance that is hanging in two, three municipalities ”, summarized the Minister of Infrastructure.
Responding to questions posed by deputies, Pedro Nuno Santos also revealed that “Portela airport is linked to the resolution of this problem”.
“The investment that ANA will make is in this solution that we could call dual, in which the two airports will continue to play a role. And, therefore, we will only be able to have a solution on the future of monitoring the [airport] Humberto Delgado when we have a closed solution with both [airports]. And, therefore, one depends on the other, and at this moment the blockade is specifically the one I mentioned ”, concluded the Minister of Infrastructure.
After the first half of the year 2020, nothing has progressed in the project for the new airport planned for Montijo.
Even in the midst of a pandemic, in which the aviation sector experienced a profound drop in activity, easing the pressure that was being noted on Humberto Delgado airport, several space specialists in the sector believe that this should be the occasion to speed up the process, not just to prepare the country for the recovery that is expected after the pandemic, but also to liven up the economy with the start of this project, one of the most extensive planned for the coming years in our country.
However, after the Portuguese Environment Agency (APA) had given the project a 'green light', in an officially known position on January 23, nothing progressed in this venture.
ANA must submit a project that respects the mitigating measures imposed by the APA, but before that, the chambers impacted by the project must all be unanimous in granting favorable opinions to the project.
And so far, the communist autonomous authorities of Seixal and Moita have refused to give their agreement.
Even with this 'Ok', it will still be necessary afterwards the National Civil Aviation Authority (ANAC) to issue a favorable technical opinion in the area of aeronautical safety, a delicate issue, in particular for the risk of collision of airplanes with birds ('birdstrike') ) due to the Tagus estuary.
There are several obstacles that the Government is facing in the development of this project, but the first step is to convince the mayors of Seixal and Moita.
Yesterday, at the hearing of the Parliamentary Committee on Economy, Public Works and Innovation, the Minister of Infrastructure, Pedro Nuno Santos, acknowledged the existence of a “blockade” in this 'dossier'.
“We think that Montijo's airport should move forward. Because, obviously, we are at a standstill moment, of great braking in the aviation sector, but our expectation is that it will recover and that, obviously, we need to respond to a problem that already existed before Covid, the overcrowding of the our Humberto Delgado airport. And, therefore, for us, it is fundamental ”, acknowledged the Minister of Infrastructure.
And Pedro Nuno Santos stressed that "there is still an issue to resolve".
“Opinions from the municipalities are needed. There are a number of municipalities in the area affected by the airport, positively and negatively, that have not yet changed their position [municipalities of Seixal and Moita]. We have already had contacts, we have already made proposals to try to address some of the concerns, but there has not yet been a change on the part of the municipalities ”, revealed the government official.
Pedro Nuno Santos lamented after the legislation that allows only one municipality against the project to stop its progress. “The legislation we have in force imposes favorable opinions from all these municipalities. We have this block that remains to be resolved. We are trying to solve it in the best way with the municipalities. Ultimately, we would, of course, need Parliament, to rethink the way in which decisions are made and conditions the decision for an infrastructure of national importance, such as an airport, but it is the legislation that we have. And so far, we also didn’t think there was a willingness to change. Therefore, we depend on the favorable opinion of some municipalities. And, therefore, we have a decision on an infrastructure of national importance that is hanging in two, three municipalities ”, summarized the Minister of Infrastructure.
Responding to questions posed by deputies, Pedro Nuno Santos also revealed that “Portela airport is linked to the resolution of this problem”.
“The investment that ANA will make is in this solution that we could call dual, in which the two airports will continue to play a role. And, therefore, we will only be able to have a solution on the future of monitoring the [airport] Humberto Delgado when we have a closed solution with both [airports]. And, therefore, one depends on the other, and at this moment the blockade is specifically the one I mentioned ”, concluded the Minister of Infrastructure.