Government asks ANA for more details on demand, clues and expansion

Na response to the technical report delivered by ANA - Aeroportos de Portugal in July, the executive recognizes the progress of the project and the level of detail already achieved, but identifies several matters that he considers need further clarification or development before the submission of the complete candidacy to Luís de Camões Airport, in the Shooting Field of Alcochete.

Although the application procedure provided for in the concession contract does not include a formal pronunciation of the grantee on the interim reports, the Government, through the Ministries of Finance and Infrastructure and Housing, decided to forward these considerations to ANA.

In a statement, the Ministry of Infrastructure considers positive the revision of the traffic projections made by the concessionaire after the government contested the initial estimates, which pointed to around 45 million passengers in 2045.

Still, it calls for “to present different scenarios of demand evolution, in order to test the robustness of the design of the new Lisbon airport and to anticipate the needs for infrastructure adaptation over the concession period”.

In the airport component, it also wants more information “in particular with regard to the configuration of runways and network of roads and their full compatibility with the operation of aircraft Code F [with a wingspan between 65 and less than 80 meters], operational capacity and flexibility”, details.

In relation to the passenger terminal, the Government asks ANA to deepen the infrastructure expansion and phasement strategy.

The technical report presented in July provides for the construction of a single terminal, no longer covering a Terminal 2 or a satellite terminal, solutions that were provided in the initial report.

In view of this amendment, “the Government considers it necessary for the concessionaire to justify this decision and to present a clear strategy for airport scalability, including the infrastructure and pre-installations necessary to allow future expansions, as well as the criteria that will determine the transition between the different stages of development”.

The executive also stresses the importance of linking with the airlines and other entities involved, so that their needs are considered in the development of the project.

As for the timetable, the Government maintains the intention to work with ANA in reducing deadlines, seeking to anticipate “as much as possible” the entry into operation of the new airport in the face of the schedule currently proposed by the concessionaire.

In the technical report released in July, ANA pointed to the beginning of the works in mid 2030, completion by the end of 2036 and entry into operation in mid 2037.

At the time, Government and concessionaire had already expressed readiness to seek to anticipate this calendar, after the ‘site’ of the Institute of Mobility and Transport (IMT) had indicated 2035 as a reference for the opening of the infrastructure that should represent an investment between 7.9 and 8.9 billion euros.

The concessionaire also warned that the timetable depends on the completion of road and rail accessibility and other infrastructure under the responsibility of third parties.

The next step will be the delivery of the financial report, scheduled for 16 January 2027, and at that time the submission of the four interim reports forming part of the preparation of the application, the full version of which, including the final versions of the reports, should be submitted by 16 January 2028.