The mayor of Loures, in the district of Lisbon, was speaking to the Lusa agency following the announcement made on Tuesday by the Government that the future international airport of Lisbon will be located at the Alcochete Firing Range.

At the end of the announcement, the Minister of Infrastructure, Miguel Pinto Luz (PSD), told reporters that the Government would be "in close dialogue with the Lisbon City Council, the Portuguese State and the various ministries", to develop "a new centrality" on the land of Portela where Humberto Delgado Airport is currently located, which will be deactivated.

"It is worth reminding Mr. Minister Miguel Pinto Luz that he should be more familiar with the reality of the Lisbon Metropolitan Area. A large part of the airport and its respective runways are located in the municipality of Loures. Therefore, if he has already taken the trouble to meet with the Lisbon City Council, he has not done so with me", criticized Ricardo Leão.

In his understanding, the municipality of Loures, adjacent to the capital, should play an important role in the discussion of the project that will be developed there, after the dismantling of Humberto Delgado.

Miguel Pinto Luz promised on Tuesday that he would assess with mayors, associations and even residents ways to reuse the land where Lisbon airport is currently located, stressing that they will have to be decontaminated.

The Prime Minister, the social democrat Luís Montenegro, announced on Tuesday that the Government had approved the construction of the new airport for the Lisbon region at the Alcochete Firing Range, to be named Luís de Camões Airport, with a view to completely replacing Humberto Delgado.

The Air Force Firing Range, also known as the Alcochete Firing Range (due to its proximity to this urban centre), is mostly located in the parish of Samora Correia, in the municipality of Benavente (district of Santarém), with a small part in the parish of Canha, in the municipality of Montijo (district of Setúbal).

The executive also decided to mandate Infraestruturas de Portugal to complete the studies for the construction of the Third Tagus Crossing and the Lisbon-Madrid high-speed rail link.

The Independent Technical Commission (CTI) appointed to assess the options for the new infrastructure published the final report of the Strategic Environmental Assessment of the new airport on 11 March, maintaining the recommendation of a single solution in Alcochete or Vendas Novas, but pointed out that Humberto Delgado + Santarém could "be a transitional solution".

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