ANA Aeroportos signed this Tuesday (08/01) a commitment with VINCI Airports, and the Portuguese government on the fundamental principles for the extension of airport capacity in the Lisbon Region, which will result in the expansion of Lisbon Airport and the construction of Montijo Airport.
The event took place at the Montijo Military Air Base, in the presence of the Portuguese Prime Minister António Costa, the Minister of Planning and Infrastructure Pedro Marques and the President and CEO of VINCI, Xavier Huillard.
The expansion of Lisbon Airport will be vital to solve a serious infrastructure problem, which even affects TAP flights.
There will be 40 more check-in counters, in addition to 22 aircraft parking positions, something that will be possible through the expansion of the patio and the deactivation of runway 17/35. This will make it possible for the site to also receive the Airbus A380.
In addition, Humberto Delgado Airport, in Lisbon, will receive more places to receive checked baggage, and improve boarding spaces, such as x-rays and immigration.
The total amount invested in this expansion is 650 million euros, and the airport will be able to operate 48 landings and takeoffs per hour with this work.
Montijo
Montijo Airport will be built under a “concession” regime, where the company VINCI Airports, in partnership with ANA, will deactivate the local Air Base and transform it into an “alternative” airport to Lisbon.
The concessionaire must set investment targets and also airport fees. The concession period is until 2062, that is, 40 years after the opening of the site.
TAP's intention, however, is to remain alone at Humberto Delgado Airport, and transfer other companies to Montijo Airport, thus freeing up enger traffic capacity at the site. In 2017 Lisbon Airport handled 26,6 million engers.
“Our vision is very clear: it is illegal to raise tariffs in Portela to pay Montijo, if that happens we will go to court, we will go to the last consequences against that”, said the president of TAP, Antonoaldo Neves, in an interview held in September 2018.
The biggest beneficiary of the renovations on the Humberto Delgado will be TAP, followed by Hi-Fly, the only Portuguese company that operates with the Airbus A380.
Anyway, Montijo Airport will not be as big as Lisbon, it will have a runway 2400 meters long, and 36 parking spaces for aircraft. In addition, there will be 11 x-ray machines in the Departures area, and 20 check-in counters. These numbers are smaller than some Brazilian airports, such as Brasília Airport, which handles an average of 18 million engers per year.
It is estimated that the site will reach its maximum capacity, of 20 million engers and 24 takeoffs and landings per hour, at the end of the concession. The construction of the terminal will cost 500 million euros.
The works will start in 2019, after the delivery of the environmental impact study and its approval. The forecast is to open Montijo Airport in 2022.
The Portuguese Air Force estimates that it will take up to 3 years to move part of the Montijo Air Base to another location, although some aircraft such as helicopters will remain in the same environment as civil aircraft, due to compatibility in operation.
