The independent technical commission that is studying the location options for the future Lisbon Airport has launched AeroParticipa, an online platform so that any citizen can participate and be part of this decision.
Monte Real, Santarém, Alverca, Portela, Montijo, Alcochete e Beja. Seven possible locations and different combinations between them. At the request of the government, an independent technical commission is studying different options for locating the new Lisbon Airport, a decision that has been delayed by the country and in which you too can become involved.
Through the online platform AeroParticipaThe website, promoted by the aforementioned independent commission, makes it possible to explore the different locations and combinations under study, and to leave contributions. For each option, the site provides a summary of access by rail and road, possible airport capacity and the population affected by noise.
In total, the options for the location of the future Lisbon Airport under study are nineFive of them (the first ones in the list below) are the result of an indication by the Government and the other four are being analyzed by the independent technical commission. Some options include only one location (i.e. a single airport); others, a combination of two airports, one main and one secondary:
- Montijo (main) + Portela (secondary)
- Portela (main) + Montijo (secondary)
- Alcochete
- Portela (main) + Santarém (secondary)
- Santarém
- Alcochete (main) + Santarém (secondary)
- Alverca (main) + Portela (secondary)
- Beja
- Monte Real
AeroParticipa allows, through a dedicated section, for anyone to indicate their preferences regarding the location of the future airportas well as share questions and ideas about this location, the overflying of cities, the environmental impact, and the future of Portela, among other topics. Internet users can interact with each other's opinions, indicating whether they agree, voting, and leaving their own considerations. To participate in this debate, all you have to do is register simply on the platform.
Nine options
The independent technical commission is looking, as we said, at least at nine options. But by the end of April it will present the full list of possible solutions. For now, on the AeroParticipa You can learn about the nine open locations through interactive maps that even allow you to simulate the approach of the planes.
The independent technical commission is led by Maria do Rosário Partidário, IST-UL full professor in Planning, Urbanism and Environment at the Department of Civil Engineering, a specialist in Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA). Through AeroParticipayou can get to know composition of this commissionknow which entities have already been heard and learn more about what an airport should be e how it should work.
The commission's work is aimed at elaborating a Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA)a strategic decision support tool to ensure that environmental and sustainability concerns are integrated into the assessment and decision on public policies. In simple terms, this document should describe the different options and, for each, their pros and cons, with a clear objective of increasing airport capacity in the Lisbon region, currently depleted at Portela.
SEA is not an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), with which it is often confused. SEA evaluates the political and socio-economic conditions of development, which generate projects, in an integrated manner with environmental concerns. EIA evaluates the environmental and social effects of development proposals, usually projects, in relation to their location, size, nature and characteristics. One of the great advantages of SEA is to reduce uncertainty in EIA.
A participatory process
The commission says it intends to ensure "a participatory, transparent, democratic and informative SEA process by the end of 2023"with the AeroParticipa platform being a part of that process. Earlier this year, the commission "opened spaces for dialogue" with "various public and private interlocutors to listen to perspectives and priorities"; as key ideas from some of these conversations can be read here.
The participation process now open to the public is divided into three phases, with distinct objectives. In the first, broader phase, it is intended to gather input on the location options on the table. In the second phase, the commission will seek to inputs that will help it make decisions regarding these locations. The third and final phase will be the final assessment of the opportunities and risks of each of the options.
You can participate and follow the process through the platform aeroparticipa.pt.
