The warning came from behind and Pedro Nuno Santos had already warned that Humberto Delgado airport might have to refuse flights next summer and confirmed today that Portela’s capacity for the next high season is sold out. “It is almost a consensus that we have a saturated airport. The schedule of slots for the summer of 2023 is frightening; everything is in the red, there is no room for more planes in Portela,” he said during the closing speech of the conference “New airport, time to decide”, in Lisbon.
“When we have a congested airport, any delay affects the rest of the day. While there are still people who say the airport has space, it is overwhelming to have a problem that started more than 50 years ago to be resolved.”, he added.
The minister called on the coming year and in the phase of discussion and analysis of the five alternatives on the table, to consider realistic growth forecasts and choose a solution that can be expanded in view of the demand. “Looking ahead, we must respect future generations. We don’t need to build a four-runway airport tomorrow, but it was important not to close the doors to expansion. We have no right to close doors and must meet about 10 or 15 years in this room,” he said, adding that it is imperative to be humble “in relation to projections.” “If the past teaches us anything, it is that we erred in the projections, explaining that the ‘most optimistic projections’ when ANA was privatized were exceeded.
The minister emphasized that Portugal is “a gateway to and from Europe”. “There is no doubt that we can seize the opportunity or not. We want airports that are not just points of departure and arrival. Aviation can be much more than that, with all the difficulties we face,” he continued, resting on the importance of TAP and the hub, which are “two sides of the same coin”.
“The hub gives centrality, it is a business that goes beyond tourism and it is of fundamental importance to Portugal. I am not saying that we have a monopoly on the air connection with Brazil, but we are not far away. Centrality brings business, it makes money We “We don’t just transport German passengers who want to holiday in the Algarve, we do more than that. We only bring passengers from the United States and Brazil, we export. What the hub and TAP allow us to do is export,” he reinforced.
Rute Simão is a journalist for Dinheiro Vivo
Source: DN
