According to Zero’s analysis, the report “Environmental Noise in Europe 2020”, published by the AEA, concluded that Lisbon is the second worst European capital, after Luxembourg, in terms of exposure to air traffic noise, with regard to the Lden indicator (24-hour average weighted by periods during the day, evening and night), with 15 percent of the municipality’s population exposed to levels above 55 decibels (dB), and the Ln indicator (night noise between 11pm and 7am), with 10 percent of the population exposed at levels above 50 dB.
“The conclusions are truly impressive and dramatic. Portugal, in comparison with the other countries of the European Union and the United Kingdom, presents a very unfavourable situation in terms of noise levels identified within the framework of European legislation with regard to air traffic”, defends that environmental association, in a statement.
This situation, they say, “stands out in relation to noise from road and rail traffic”.
The data also indicates that Portugal has about 7 percent of the population of the agglomerations (where, according to European legislation, the municipalities of Lisbon and Porto and some of the surroundings of these two cities are included), exposed to values above 50 dB, associated exclusively to air traffic.
“The data presented shows the need to urgently guarantee the absolute exclusion of night flights, as provided for in the Noise Law, and without any exceptions after the end of the works in progress”, defends the association, which considers “it is necessary to discuss the future of the Humberto Delgado airport in the medium term and make the “contract for the permanence of this infrastructure unfeasible until the year 2062”.
In January, in a debate about the capital’s airport, the president of the environmental association Zero, Francisco Ferreira, had already warned of the fact that the Noise Law is being ignored in Lisbon and that noise pollution exceeds “by far” levels allowed due to air traffic.
At a parliamentary hearing at the Commission for Economy, Innovation, Public Works and Housing, on 19 February, the Minister of Infrastructure rejected the expansion of Lisbon airport to increase movements per hour, allowing for the elimination of flights at night.
“To move towards zero flights at night” is the objective, said Minister Pedro Nuno Santos, referring that this is “a fair demand” of the Mayor of Lisbon, Fernando Medina.