While everyone thought that Montijo Airport would finally be able to see the light of day, a new obstacle stood before the construction of this new airport. Scheduled to unclog the Lisbon-Portela airport, which has been overstepping for a few years, Montijo airport meets with opposition from several mayors and associations who prefer the option of Alcochete. Despite the positive environmental opinion issued a few weeks ago, a law, so far unnoticed, allows the town halls concerned by the new airport to veto and therefore to cancel its construction. Of the 9 town halls involved, 5 gave an unfavorable opinion. This Wednesday Antonio Costa, the Portuguese Prime Minister, urgently convened the mayors concerned in order to find a compromise. Meanwhile, the construction of Montijo Airport has never seemed so far away. Lisbob, the expatriate assistant in Portugal, tells you all about this emergency meeting to advance or cancel the construction of a new Lisbon - Montijo airport.
Montijo Airport canceled? Emergency meeting between the government and the town halls concerned
Emergency meeting convened by the Portuguese Prime Minister
The Portuguese Prime Minister, António Costa, will meet this Wednesday in São Bento six mayors of municipalities concerned by the construction of the airport of Montijo, during an "emergency meeting" aiming to "find points of agreement".
On the municipal side, the mayors of Alcochete, Barreiro, Lisbon, Moita, Montijo and Seixal will be present, while the government is represented by the Prime Minister himself and the Minister of Infrastructure and Housing, Pedro Nuno Santos.
The construction of the airport on air base n ° 6, between Montijo and Alcochete, is now threatened because Portuguese law is clear: the absence of a favorable opinion from all the municipalities concerned "constitutes a reason for refusal" and therefore project cancellation.
However, the Portuguese national civil aviation authorities do not yet know which municipalities will definitively give an unfavorable opinion to cancel the project.
Portuguese government wants to change law that allows municipalities to veto
According to the Environmental Impact Statement (DIA), published in January, five communist municipalities in the Setúbal district have issued a negative opinion (Moita, Seixal, Sesimbra, Setúbal and Palmela) and four municipalities managed by socialists (Montijo, Alcochete, Barreiro and Almada, in the same district) gave a positive opinion.
The Câmara de Benavente, which is located in the neighboring district of Santarém, but close to the municipalities of Alcochete and Montijo, also issued a negative opinion due to the increase in noise levels in residential areas.
Portuguese government wants to change law that allows municipalities to veto
In order to advance the project for the new Lisbon-Montijo airport, the Minister of Infrastructure, Pedro Nuno Santos, simply proposed to modify the law which allows municipalities to exercise their veto. However, to validate this change in law, it must have a majority and nothing is less certain: the PSD and the left parties have already shown themselves against this hypothesis.
On January 8, 2019, ANA (Portugal Airport) and the Portuguese State signed the agreement for the extension of Lisbon airport capacity, with an investment of 1.15 billion euros until 2028 in order to enlarge the current Lisbon-Portela airport and transform the Montijo air base into a new airport in order to increase the reception capacity of the Portuguese capital.
