Miguel Pinto Luz says the government is protecting the interests of the state, not the interests of the ANA

The infrastructure minister said on Tuesday that the government was protecting the interests of the state by choosing Alcochete as the site of the new airport, rather than the interests of ANA.

“The decision is ours, and objectively we defend the interests of the Portuguese state, not the interests of the ANA,” said Minister of Infrastructure and Housing Miguel Pinto Luz in an interview with SIC after a press conference at which the government announced the choice of Alcochete as the location of the new airport in the region of Lisbon, which will be called Luis de Camões.

Answering a question about construction costs, the minister confirmed that the government’s decision will not burden the state budget “by one euro” and that the concessionaire, who has given preference to Montijo, will be responsible for the development of the airport.

“The ANA knows the path it must take and the path we must follow, and therefore everyone protects their interests, our interest is only one, the interest of Portugal and the Portuguese state, so the ANA has no doubts,” emphasized the official who refuses to talk about the start of the negotiation process with ANA, anticipating a scenario in which an agreement with the concessionaire will not be reached.

The biggest challenge the government foresees in building the new airport is meeting deadlines due to meeting all European requirements, especially regarding environmental issues.

In this aspect, he noted, the government believes that Alcochete is a better solution compared to Vendas Novas, the other of the two options that the Independent Technical Commission (CTI), which carried out the strategic environmental assessment, considers viable, since it has already approved the application for environmental impacts, including mitigation measures that have already expired.

Miguel Pinto Luz, who before becoming minister expressed doubts about the independence of the CTI, admitted today that the report prepared by the team led by Rosario Partidario is “serious” and “well structured”, although he does not agree with the understanding of technical experts on such topics such as demand forecasts, completion dates, costs and TAP growth to 2050, which he considers “too optimistic.”

Asked about the possibility that the work would be “stuck” in a dual solution with Humberto Delgado Airport without moving on to completely replace the current Lisbon airport, Miguel Pinto Luz was adamant: “There is no such possibility.”

Regarding the conversation between Prime Minister Luis Montenegro and PS Secretary General Pedro Nuno Santos, in which the former Minister of Infrastructure “considered the decision of this government to be good,” Pinto Luz said that it was about “strict compliance with the word given two years ago.”

At that time, the then Prime Minister António Costa, Pedro Nuno Santos, who was then Minister of Infrastructure, Luis Montenegro, being the leader of the PSD, and Miguel Pinto Luz, the vice-president of the Social Democrats, agreed on a methodology to study a solution for airports in the region Lisbon, which led to the creation of CTI.

CTI published on March 11 the final report on the strategic environmental assessment of the new airport, maintaining the recommendation of a single solution in Alcochete, the most beneficial, or Vendas Novas, but noted that Humberto Delgado + Santarem could be a transitional solution. .

Today the government approved the Alcochete option in the Council of Ministers, increasing the capacity of the current Lisbon airport, which will be dismantled once the new infrastructure is in operation, and bringing closer the completion of the Lisbon-Madrid high-speed rail line. including the third Tagus crossing (Chelas-Barreiro), all estimated to be completed in 2034.

ANA Aeroportos has already stated its full readiness to immediately work on the government’s decision, ensuring that “it will continue the process of developing this solution in accordance with the terms of the Concession Agreement.”