The Government will present a challenge to the administrative action advanced by the Public Ministry (MP) that could delay the improvement works at Humberto Delgado airport, in Lisbon. As the Public Ministry advanced, the MP filed a rescission action with the Supreme Administrative Court, which could result in the suspension of the works started last month.
“The Government received the aforementioned notification about the administrative action proposed by the Public Prosecutor’s Office at the Supreme Administrative Court and, as a defendant entity, will use the legal deadlines (30 days) to analyze this action, which focuses in particular on a Resolution of the Council of Ministers of December 2023 (RCM 201/2023) and on the decision of the Portuguese Environment Agency of January 22, 2024, to present the respective objection”, an official source from the Ministry of Infrastructure told Lusa.
This action does not suspend the works immediately, but may lead to delays if the Brazilian Environment Agency (APA) has to carry out the environmental impact study (AIA).
In reaction to the news, ANA commented that “it regrets this attempt to prevent the carrying out, among others, of the works scheduled in December resulting from RCM 201/2023, amended by 67/2024, which aim to ensure better service conditions for passengers, with more space in the terminals and the reduction of boarding and disembarking by buses, thus improving the carbon footprint of ground operations”, an official source from the national airports manager told Lusa.
Now, the concessionaire, and the other notified entities, including APA, NAV – Portugal, several ministries and the sector regulator (ANAC), have 30 days to present a response.
The basis of the process is the Public Prosecutor’s Office’s interpretation of the need to carry out an environmental impact assessment (EIA) in the first phase of Portela’s improvement work, which foresees, for example, the expansion of terminal 1 and the creation of a sign aircraft parking.
The Public Ministry also maintains the need for a study at this stage since since 2006 no project in Portela has been subject to an environmental assessment.
In turn, APA argues that an environmental assessment would not be necessary at this stage as it would not alter the increase in infrastructure capacity, planning to carry out a study only to increase flight capacity.
“The environmental impact study (EIA) to be developed must consider as a reference situation the number of flights declared in the request for prior assessment relating to the ‘Pier Sul, Central and Apron Sul’ project (38 movements per hour) and its future evolution , notably until reaching the maximum capacity of 45 movements per hour”, explained the APA in an opinion issued last month.
The concessionaire of the national airports shares the same understanding, arguing that the improvement of the operating conditions of terminal 1 at Lisbon airport is not related to, “nor does it have as a consequence, the increase in aircraft movements, which are limited by the capacity of the airspace”.
The works at Humberto Delgado airport, awarded to the consortium of Mota-Engil and da Vinci, foresee an investment of more than 233 million euros and aim to mitigate the current infrastructure congestion until the start of the new Luís de Camões airport, in Alcochete.
Source: www.jornaldenegocios.pt
