ANA – Aeroportos de Portugal has submitted the final report for the expansion of Lisbon's Humberto Delgado Airport capacity to the government. The document, whose submission deadline had been postponed until the end of July, was received by the Executive on August 1 and aims to increase the airport's declared operational capacity by up to 45 movements per hour, allowing the current airport to meet the growing demand until the new airport becomes operational, according to a report by ECO.

"On August 1st, the Government received from ANA – Aeroportos de Portugal the Report on the Expansion Plan for Humberto Delgado Airport (AHD), as determined in Council of Ministers Resolution No. 67/2024 of May 27th," the Ministry of Infrastructure said in a statement, noting that "the concessionaire's proposal includes all necessary investments to expand the declared capacity."

Last June, through an order published in the Official Gazette, the Government extended the mandate and deadline for submitting the final report of the monitoring group for the expansion of Humberto Delgado Airport's capacity until July 31st.

"It is urgent that we not waste a single day on the new airport, so that in 10 years' time we can be inaugurating the new airport and dismantling Portela Airport. But until then, we must ensure that the limitations we face at Humberto Delgado are minimized and that we ensure the best comfort and safety conditions for all users and professionals of this infrastructure," the Ministry of Infrastructure said in the same statement.

The expansion plan for Lisbon's current airport aims to adopt a set of measures to strengthen the capacity of Humberto Delgado Airport, ensuring that the airport infrastructure can meet the growing demand for air traffic until Luís de Camões Airport becomes operational, which is expected to happen in about ten years.

"These measures, provided for in Council of Ministers Resolution No. 67/2024, include the development of a phased investment plan, across all necessary subsystems, to increase the airport's declared operational capacity to a maximum of 45 movements per hour," the statement details.

The Executive also states that, "given the complexity and technical specificity of the matter, the Government has requested the competent authorities in the sector to review the presented plan, with a view to its possible validation." Following this validation and government approval, ANA will prepare the Environmental Impact Study, which will subsequently be submitted to the Portuguese Environment Agency.

Last month, Minister Miguel Pinto Luz also announced that the Government approved the transfer of the Air Force from Figo Maduro, at Lisbon airport, to the Montijo air base, which will undergo adaptation works worth 30 million euros by 2028, a decision that aims to reinforce the capacity of Humberto Delgado until the opening of the new airport that will be built in Alcochete.