“Se, In the next years, o Government and in Vinci [owner of ANA-Aeroportos de Portugal] move towards expanding the parking apron and the airport, Beja Airport can receive many more passenger flights”, defended Paulo Arsénio.
The president of the Chamber of Beja, Paul Arsenio, defended this Saturday, 18 May, expansion works at the local airport are necessary, so that it can support Lisbon and receive more flights, until the future Luís de Camões Airport is ready.
Questioned by the Lusa agency about the Government's announcement to approve the construction of the new airport in the Lisbon region (NAL) at the Alcochete Shooting Range, the mayor of Beja defended that this decision is an opportunity for works on the Alentejo airport infrastructure.
“Se, In the next years, o Government and in Vinci [owner of ANA — Aeroportos de Portugal] move towards expanding the parking apron and the airport, Beja Airport can receive many more passenger flights”, He defended.
And this increase in the number of passenger flights, expansion works, would be valid for “the coming years and until [to] after the airport in Alcochete is built”, highlighted the mayor.
According to the elected, “Beja Airport has an imminently industrial and commercial vocation, but it can also serve some civil flights” and support the current Humberto Delgado Airport, in Lisbon.
However, he stressed, the infrastructure parking sign “is relatively small” and “has ‘VIP/premium’ flights permanently parked, as well as aircraft that will enter the repair hangar of the [aeronautical maintenance company] MESA”.
Parallel to this, the terminal “has a processing capacity of only 250 passengers per hour of arrival and departure 250 outgoing passengers”.
In other words, currently, with Beja Airport “operating at its maximum capacity”, there is only the possibility of “just one plane taking off and another landing, per hour", observed.
For Paulo Arsénio, “it would be important for the dealer”, a ANA, “the parking sign would be expanded and the airport would also be expanded”.
About the location of the future airport, the mayor of Beja stressed that he had “no comment” to make, even because the option fell on what was the conclusion of the Independent Technical Commission (CTI).
The Government “chose to choose Alcochete and legitimately did so. Probably, would be what any other government of the Republic from any other party would do, due to the in-depth study of all locations [that was carried out] to welcome the alternative to Lisbon’s main airport”, said.
On Tuesday, the prime minister, the social democrat Luís Montenegro, announced the approval of the construction of the NAL at the Alcochete Shooting Field, with the name Luís de Camões Airport, with a view to fully replacing Humberto Delgado Airport.
The Air Force Firing Range, also known as Alcochete Shooting Range (due to the proximity of this urban center), is mainly located in the parish of Samora Correia, in the municipality of Benavente (district of Santarém), still having a small part in the parish of Canha, already in the municipality of Montijo (Setúbal district).
PCP argues that Beja must be part of the National Airport Network
With the announcement by the Government about the location of the New Lisbon Airport at the Alcochete Shooting Field, the PCP argues that “the funds that the Government intends to use in expanding Humberto Delgado Airport to improve, qualification and increase in passenger reception capacity at Beja Airport, using this infrastructure as an important complement to Humberto Delgado Airport during the NAL construction phase, and subsequently to the NAL itself. This solution will not only save the State several million Euros but will also ensure that the investments made remain for the future and are not destroyed with the closure of Humberto Delgado Airport”, justify the communists.
