Infrastructure will involve third bridge over Tejo river, state-of-art rail links and billions of euros
Portugal’s AD government has moved in a way no other recent government has managed. After well over half a century in which administrations ‘ummed and aahhed’ over the ‘right location’ for a new airport for the Lisbon region, it has made a decision (a decision that was almost reached in the times of José Sócrates, but then frittered away for another 16 years …): an infrastructure which tabloid leader writer Carlos Rodrigues remarks had “almost transformed into a national trauma”, is now (ostensibly) finally on its way.
Prime minister Luís Montenegro made the announcement that the new infrastructure will be sited on the former Alcochete Shooting Range to the nation last night, during ‘prime time’ evening news bulletins. He said he would address the country at 8pm, and he was ready almost to the second.
Marking the occasion further, the country’s main opposition party almost immediately conveyed its support of the decision – with former prime minister António Costa taking to social media to congratulate the democratic maturity shown by both sides.
The decision entails a slew of separate projects: first, ANA airports authority will be tasked with investing in around €300 million in the current Humberto Delgado airport to ensure it can cope with passenger demands while the new infrastructure at Alcochete is being constructed.
Second, there will have to be a third bridge built over the Tejo river linking Lisbon with Barreiro (to take vehicles and trains).
And third, the high speed railway connection between Lisbon and Madrid (a requisite of the Iberian/ Moroccan ‘deal’ to stage the 2030 World Cup) will have to be linked to the new airport.
All this has very strict timelines (not least the Lisbon-Madrid high speed rail link, which has to be completed in time for the World Cup six years from now).
So far, the investment required for the construction of the airport has been calculated at ‘more than €6.1 billion’. It will involve two runways to start with, the first to be concluded in 2030 (costed out at ‘more than €3.2 billion); the second to be ready by 2031 at a further investment of €2.8 billion.
The objective, explain reports this morning, is to construct an airport that will have the capacity to accommodate up to 100 million passengers per year in the post-2050 period, with ample space for the future construction of two further runways.
The costs of the airport do not include works like the third bridge over the Tejo, and the railway links: these will be paid for separately, and are being overseen by the Ministry of Infrastructure and Housing.
Tabloid Correio da Manhã claims that this political decision has been designed to reduce the time it takes for construction works to actually begin – particularly with regard to the expansion work the government wants ANA airports authority to agree to (which may well involve a degree of ‘haggling’).
For now, no-one is being negative: yes, some of the smaller political parties are making remarks about ‘back room deals’ likely to take place between the government and ANA, but in general terms, people are ‘happy’ – particularly the mayor of Alcochete who has said the news has made him “a very happy man”.
The country’s prime minister believes what will (eventually) become a single airport solution for the capital is the “most appropriate solution for the country’s strategic interests”, with the publicly-owned Alcochete site of 3,383 hectares guaranteeing room for expansion and growth for the TAP hub, irrespective of who eventually ends up owning the airline.
