The government approved a resolution this Thursday in the Council of Ministers that strengthens the autonomy of the Independent Technical Commission (CTI) for the study of the airport expansion of Lisbon and adapts the tasks included in its analysis.
According to the statement of the Council of Ministers, “the resolution was adopted which adapts the tasks included in the strategic and multidisciplinary analysis of the increase in airport capacity in the Lisbon region and strengthens the technical autonomy granted to the Independent Technical Commission to ensure the mission he was assigned”.
On Tuesday, the CTI coordinator assured that the structure is independent and does not favor the nine under study.
Speaking to journalists at the end of the presentation of the five critical decision factors that will be used to evaluate the nine options on the table for the airport solution, at the National Civil Engineering Laboratory (LNEC), Rosário Partidário responded forcefully when asked whether the CTI manages to remain immune to outside pressure: “Of course, first of all because there are different positions, […]second because we are independent and have no orders and third because it is part of it, it is normal to have different positions”.
The report detailing the five critical decision factors presented that day — aviation security, accessibility and territory, human health and environmental viability, connectivity and economic development, and the public investment and financing model — is now in public consultation for 20 days and, for this reason, the coordinator clarified, it is not closed to possible changes.
On April 27, the technical committee announced nine possible options for the new airport, including the five defined by the government plus Portela+Alcochete, Portela+Pegões, Rio Frio+Poceirão and Pegões.
A Council of Ministers resolution adopted last year defined the creation of a CTI to analyze five hypotheses for the Lisbon airport solution (Portela + Montijo; Montijo + Portela; Alcochete; Portela + Santarém; Santarém), but provided that they could be added other options.
Source: DN
