The Lisbon City Council approved this Wednesday a proposal presented by the President of the Municipal Executive, Carlos Moedas (PSD), calling on the future government to intervene in the operational improvement of Humberto Delgado Airport and in the construction of a new international airport.
“Let the first official decision of the next government be to call for tenders for the construction of the new Lisbon airport,” Carlos Moedas said in a proposal presented and discussed in a closed chamber meeting.
This proposal was made possible by votes for the PSD/CDS-PP and PS leadership, the abstention of Citizens for Lisbon (elected by the PS/Livre coalition), Livre and BE, as well as votes against PCP council members. This was reported to the agency by an official source from the municipality of Luz.
The proposal presented by the Mayor of Lisbon also assumes that the future government (following early legislative elections on March 10) will abolish night flights and exercise its powers to “quickly implement the measures necessary to improve the operation of Humberto Delgado Airport, foreseen for in the concession agreement signed with ANA – Aeroportos de Portugal, which contributes to the efficient use of installed capacity.”
The PCP also proposed to welcome the findings of the Independent Technical Commission (CTI) responsible for the study assessing strategic options for increasing airport capacity in the Lisbon region, and to “express deep concern” about the levels of air pollution associated with it. with the operation of Humberto Delgado Airport and the impact on public health.
The PCP councilors’ proposal also demands “the immediate end to night flights at Humberto Delgado Airport and therefore all the exceptions and derogations that make them viable, condemning the profound negative impact of these flights on the health and peace of the population.” .
Endorsed with abstentions by the PSD/CDU-PP, PS and Citizens for Lisbon and votes for the PCP, Livre and BU, the proposal of the communist councilors also demands that the government “implement as soon as possible the necessary immediate measures to begin work on the construction of the new Lisbon airport “
The PCP recalls that the CTI proposed to limit the operation of Humberto Delgado Airport to the minimum time necessary to complete the construction of the new Lisbon Airport that will replace it, and the solution identified by this working group is in the Campo area. Tiro de Alcochete, which envisages the phased construction of new airport infrastructure and the gradual but final closure of Humberto Delgado Airport.
The PKP proposal states that city institutions and the public should be invited to “a broad debate about the future use of the land on which Humberto Delgado Airport is located after its closure” and asks for full government participation. and consultation with the Lisbon City Council on all decisions regarding the new Lisbon Airport as well as other structural investments affecting the city, namely the Tagus Third Junction (TTT) and the high-speed rail line.
In this context, the Bloc de Esquerda (BE) also presented a proposal, including “to support the location of Alcochete for the construction of the new Lisbon airport, as proposed by the CTI”, but it was rejected by votes against PSD/CDS-PP and PS, abstention of Lisbon citizens and votes for the rest of the council members.
In the proposal, BE proposed to “prohibit the landing and take-off of civil aircraft between 00:00 and 06:00, except in cases of force majeure”, and create an ANA-funded fund that co-funds the National Health Service (SNS) and councils Lisbon, Loures and Almada contribute to improving living conditions in the communities around Humberto Delgado Airport.
At the proposal of the leadership of the PSD/CDS-PP, the executive branch of the municipality approved a vote of refusal to “unconditionally condemn the acts of vandalism committed on December 21, 2023 in the Town Hall of the Municipality of Lisbon”, where a banner with the inscription “Free Palestine” was installed on the balcony and the walls were painted red color with the word “genocide”.
This vote was made possible by the votes for the PSD/CDS-PP and PS leadership, the abstention of the PCP, Livre and Cidadaãos Por Lisboa (elected by the PS/Livre coalition) and the vote against BE.
The agenda of the meeting included a proposal from the housing councilor for a new public-private partnership model for affordable housing, but it was shelved by the SDP/CDS-PP leadership without giving reasons to the opposition.
Currently, the 17-member executive body of the Lisbon Chamber includes seven elected members of the Novos Tempos coalition (PSD/CDS-PP/MPT/PPM/Alliance), who are the only ones with assigned responsibilities – three from PS, two from PCP, three from Cidadaãos Por Lisboa (elected by the PS/Livre coalition), one from Livre and one from BE.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
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