Speaking in an interview with Lusa, Pedro Morais Leitão said he "would very much like the project [for the pipeline the government announced two weeks ago] to proceed", but recalled that the project “is 20 years old ", and that there were problems that would not have disappeared from one day to the next.

"The possibility of a pipeline has been discussed for ages. These 40 kilometres [from Aveiras to Lisbon airport] pass through densely built-up metropolitan zones. Passing a fuel pipeline through this urban area will certainly raise licensing problems and probably create arguments between mayors about who gets stuck with the safety risks", he said.

"I don’t know the project in detail, but I have seen many discussions about the matter", he said, adding that there was also the added instability at the moment regarding the planned secondary airport on the south bank of the Tagus, in Montijo.

"What might happen to the consumption at Lisbon’s main airport and what can we expect of Montijo? All these infrastructure decisions require stability", he said.