The Lisbon City Council (CML) will discuss increasing the capacity of Humberto Delgado Airport in a public meeting in September. The meeting was scheduled at the request of the PS (Socialist Party). The Portuguese Environment Agency and other stakeholders will also attend the meeting.
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Lisbon City Council Meeting Details
The meeting will take place on September 3rd, 2024 at 3 pm in the Archive Room of the Town Hall. It will be an open hearing for civil society. The PS councilor said that about 100,000 people live near the airport and are already affected by noise, pollution, and traffic congestion. He highlighted that:
Even before any increase in airport capacity, Lisbon is already the second European capital with the most inhabitants exposed to aircraft noise.
The notice calling the meeting was signed by the president of CML,
Carlos Moedas (PSD), the president of CMLsinged the notice for the meeting. He said that his thoughts are much like the PS. Here is what he had to say on the matter:
No to the expansion of airport capacity in Lisbon!
City Council Meeting: Invited Entities
The motion was approved despite opposition from the PSD/CDS-PP leadership, which governs without an absolute majority. The motion expressed:
Firm and vehement opposition to the increase in airport capacity in an infrastructure that, embedded in the urban fabric of Lisbon, represents an anachronistic situation with few parallels in Europe, and has unequivocal negative impacts on the quality of life of those who live and work in the city.
To participate in the discussion, the council invited the following entities at the proposal of the PS:
- Portuguese Environment Agency (APA)
- National Council for the Environment and Sustainable Development (CNADS)
- Zero – Sustainable Land System Association
- GEOTA – Study Group on Territorial Planning and Environment
- League for the Protection of Nature (LPN)
- Morar em Lisboa movement
The other political groups in the CML can recommend more organizations to join the discussion. The Bloco has already invited the civic platform Airport Out, Lisbon Improves. This platform has been advocating for the end of night flights. They also support enforcing the General Noise Law.
Lisbon Airport: Current Community Impact
In anticipation of the meeting on 3 September, the PS pointed out that the current PSD/CDS-PP/PPM government contradicted previous plans. The socialist government had proposed improvements without increasing the airport’s capacity.
The Independent Technical Commission had advised studying a new airport location. However, the current government unexpectedly announced a 20% increase in flights at Humberto Delgado Airport. This would raise the number of flights from 38 to 45 per hour and increase passenger numbers from 33.6 to between 40 and 45 million.
The PS argued that:
Given the erratic position of the president of the Lisbon City Council, undecided between defending the interests of ANA – Aeroportos de Portugal or protecting the people of Lisbon, and given that a possible, albeit illegal, exemption from the Environmental Impact Assessment may be at stake, it is the duty of the Lisbon City Council to promote assessments and/or studies on future impacts, but also current ones, to protect the populations.
If we take a look at the stats of August 2024, there were about 600 flights per day. This means that there is a flight once every two minutes in Lisbon. This puts immense pressure on the residents city.
The noise, especially at night, is a serious concern for those living nearby. Let’s hope that the meeting will bring them relief.
