Lisbon airport has capacity until new solution ready – EasyJet

The director of EasyJet for Portugal said on Tuesday that Lisbon airport could grow to allow for the time needed until the new airport solution for the region is ready for use.

“We think that this period that it will take to implement a definitive solution should be taken care of, [allowing] the airport to continue to grow because there is the possibility in the infrastructure to do so until the new solution is ready for use. We shouldn’t close it until we have Alcochete if that is the solution,” José Lopes told Lusa.

If the state opts for a dual solution with Portela (current Lisbon airport) and Montijo operating simultaneously, José Lopes was adamant: “we want to continue operating at Portela”.

“Everywhere in Europe where there is a two-airport solution, short and medium haul traffic is the one that stays at the airport closest to the city, as it is the traffic that is most sensitive to [travel] time,” he explained.

“What we have always said is that, in a solution of two airports working together, the hub should move to the farthest airport,” he added, giving the example of what happens with the airports of Paris or Milan.

He stressed the urgency of developing Portela, as the decision on a definitive solution “looks like it will take a long time.

“It is important that until then everything possible is done so that Portela can have more traffic, and having more traffic is not only about having more slots, more movements, but also about having solutions that allow for more punctuality when traffic returns to its normal levels, for example,” he pointed out, recalling that the fast runway exits have already been implemented at Lisbon airport, but are not yet being used.

“Lisbon cannot go back to being known as one of the worst airports in Europe in terms of delays when there are possibilities in the infrastructure to implement solutions to minimise the impacts”, he said.