For decades there have been plans to build a second airport to serve Lisbon. What would cost a half billion at that time is now estimated to be four million euros, I guess five.
Many options have been surveyed, for many millions. The well known OTA had an internal report at the ministry telling the geological problems it would meet. But some friends of some politicians had purchased land there and insisted at the top level. My article “OTA A TOA A 2030”, pledging for a terminal 2 at Portela and telling on the real future problems at OTA, made the PM stop it.
My book TRANSPORTES tells details about the alternative using the military airport at the other side of Tagus, which would cost some 400 million to create a terminal, a tunnel and road access to it. Montijo has two take-off runaways, one is 2,5km long, easy to extend to 3km.
Another alternative is to use to airport of Beja, which could become an aircargo hub for goods to and from Africa and South-America, also for low-cost airlines. We only need to build a larger passenger terminal and upgrade the aircargo facilities. This could cost perhaps 100 million. The runaway is 3,45km, and can take the largest available airplanes in the world. To write about those alternatives I have interviewed directors of, a.o, SAS, TAP, Ryanair and Easy-Jet.
The most important needed investment is a train track in the European and not the Iberic standard, from Lisbon to the border of Spain, passing Evora and with a side-track from Casa-Branca to Beja. This would make a trip with the new, faster Light-Alfa reach the Center of Lisbon in 55 minutes, at a cost of 98 million.
In order to develop more the rich soil of Algarve and Alentejo it would be easy and inexpensive to build a railroad in the European standard for the Light-Alfa and cargo, Beja-Loule. Some 98km, 30 minutes, at a cost of 150 million. This would make it possible to use it for low-cost flights also to the Algarve. And would boost the exports of industrialised figs, almonds, excellent wines, and other regional production through the cargo-terminal.
YES, WE CAN - USE AVAILABLE RESOURCES!
