New Europe airport: New airport 'planned for over 50 years' set to open in Portugal as authorities decide on location

A huge new airport could be coming to Europe as authorities are deciding between nine locations, according to a local news website. It is set to be built somewhere around the Portuguese capital, Lisbon, despite it already having an airport itself.

Lisbon Airport reached its passenger capacity in 2019 however the airport has faced a lot of setbacks. Local news website the Portugal Resident reported that the relevant authorities are still deciding between nine locations, including areas like Portela and Alcochete, Portelaand Pegões, Rio Frio and Poceirão, and Pegões.

According to the Portuguese Minister for Infrastructures, João Galamba, a final report regarding the airport will be released by the beginning of January. It is not yet known how much the construction of the airport will cost but The Sun reports that around 10,000 workers will be needed to build it.

Earlier this month, the Order of Architects, an authority on architecture in Portugal, was sceptical about the sizeable project. According to Portugal Resident, they said: "If, as is expected, given the 'tight timetable', the contract defined to carry out this megaproject is a single procedure for all these needs, then there will be few companies in the world with the technical and logistical capacity to present themselves for its execution." 

The Order of Architects president, Avelino Oliveira, added: "We remain highly concerned about the process and the airport design to be proposed. "[The] architects’ main concerns have not been addressed within the scope of the work being carried out."

However, despite concerns, it is likely that the project will still go ahead. In September the Portugal Resident reported that the country’s President of the Republic has said that he is optimistic “that the foundation stone of Lisbon’s new airport, which has been planned for over 50 years, will be laid” before the end of his term in 2026. The Independent Technical Commission (CTI) will have to deliver a report to the government by December 31 with the conclusions of its work, indicating the best solution for the future airport in the Lisbon region. It comes as a £7bn mega airport is also set to come to Europe, with flights expected from 2028. Construction work should begin on Warsaw Solidarity Airport, also known as Central Communication Port, by the end of the year.