"The environmental impact assessment that was presented is being analysed by APA [Portugal's environment agency] and now is not a time for a political decision but a time for technical evaluation," Costa said at a parliamentary debate.
Costa was speaking in response to the member of parliament André Silva, from the People-Animal-Nature Party, who asked if the prime minister was willing to "reconsider the location of the airport," adding that the city of Beja, in southern Portugal, could be an alternative.
"Are you really going to insist on works that will damage people's health and which will devastate the avifauna of the Tagus estuary, an ecosystem that is already quite fragile?" he said.
Silva also pointed out that an assessment of the environmental impact of the Montijo airport had already been carried out and it identified "quite negative impacts for the lives of people in the region and for the population of birds that inhabit the Tagus estuary."
France's Vinci has recently agreed to provide €1.15 billion in funding for the expansion of Lisbon's main airport and the construction of a new hub in nearby Montijo, which has been strongly opposed by environmental groups.
A second airport is paramount for the Lisbon area. And a change of the flight paths. I am always shocked about the stoic reaction of Lisbon population to the unbelievable noise levels we all have to endure. I hear from foreign friends who came to visit several times that they cannot believe how such a beautiful city can be poisoned by noise. We live on tourism. Now they are still flocking in but this will change. So it's not only necessary to do something urgently for local people's health but also for economic reasons. Tourism will collapse. And noise is a killer.
By Elfie Arató from Lisbon on 19 Apr 2019, 06:20
Completely agree with Elfie's comment. We stayed in Lisbon recently and were shocked at the aircraft noise when the wind was from the south - non-stop departure roar from very early morning till late at night. This affects the heart of the city and gets worse as you go north (nearer the airport). The new airport is further away from the city but is for incremental demand, not to replace the existing airport. To be honest, I wouldn't stay in Lisbon again. This blog someone did back in 2014 sums things up perfectly (and it's got worse since then): http://lisbonairportnoise.blogspot.com/?m=1
By Aaron McFally from Other on 24 Apr 2019, 16:18