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Algarve in favour of Alcochete
• 08 Nov 2007 •
 THE President of Algarve’s Town Hall Association (AMAL), Macário Correia, is in favour of Alcochete for the location of Portugal’s new main international airport. Earlier this year the government decided that further studies would be necessary to find the best location for the new international airport to replace Lisbon’s Portela airport as it will soon be too small for the needs of the country. The prime minister said that the final decision, to be announced in 2008, will be based on comparative studies between two sites: Alcochete, located south of Lisbon and Ota, to the north of the Portuguese capital.
The Portuguese Industrial Confederation (CIP) has now presented a new study which concludes that the decision to choose Alcochete rather than Ota would allow the Portuguese State to save three billion euros.
The CIP report says the savings would mainly come from lower investment needed in terms of supporting infrastructure, including a new bridge across the Tejo River. The study also includes the investments in other infrastructures such as the high-speed rail links from Alcochete to Lisbon, Porto, Madrid and the Algarve, as well a subway line connecting the airport with the Portuguese capital.
The President of the AMAL association that constitutes the 16 Algarve town councils agrees with this study, stressing: “The Alcochete option seems to be better in every way. It is economically more favourable and it is also better for the environment.” Correia added: “This option would also be better for the Algarve because the new airport would be located nearer to the region and it could serve as an option for residents and tourists for flights to world cities that aren’t served with direct flights from Faro airport.”
Copies of the CIP study regarding the new airport location were delivered to Prime Minister Socrates and to President Cavaco Silva. The study stresses that the lower cost at Alcochete is an advantage that cannot be ignored. Because of lower costs to build and make ready the new airport, taxes will also be a lot lower, giving the Alcochete site an enormous head start over Ota in terms of international competitiveness.
On top of that, Alcochete land belongs to the State and is situated in Santarém district which can tap into much bigger EU funding.
The CIP study also claims that the airport in Alcochete can be built in stages giving it a longer lifespan and allowing it to expand more. The study reveals that it will be open for use even before completion. Contrary to what happens at Ota, the new airport can even work in tandem with Portela as early as 2015 while new airstrips are added to Alcochete.
From an environmental point of view, the study concluded that to build at Ota would be most harmful to the aquifers of the southern margin of the river Tejo.
The government’s decision will, nevertheless, not be based on this study, but on a study by the National Laboratory of Civil Engineering which is still being carried out and will be handed over to the government on December 12. |  Return to Top
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