The motion on Beja Airport was proposed by the Beja achieved coalition (PSD/CDS-PP/PPM/IL/Aliança) and unanimously approved by the elected representatives of the various political forces, at the most recent meeting of the Municipal Assembly (AM) of Beja.
The document states that “Beja Airport is certified by the National Civil Aviation Institute and is one of the four Portuguese airports that can receive international flights”, both passengers and cargo.
“With the political will to bet on this airport infrastructure, it would even be possible to create a Free Zone here with special fiscal characteristics, where reduced customs fees would be practiced”, suggests the AM.
Useful alternative
Despite admitting that Beja Airport “will hardly be able to be a complementary airport to Lisbon”, those elected defend that “it can be, in case of need and overcrowding at Lisbon and Faro airports, an excellent and useful alternative”.
“Local political action, namely through the Municipality of Beja, must fight and contribute to the regular use of the airport”, sustains the motion.
The Alentejo, “as an economic potential, needs the airport as a hub for development and enhancement of the region, as it has enough space for an air cargo logistics platform, having a high potential as an industrial area”, they add.
The document, which will be sent to the President of the Republic, Prime Minister and Ministry of Planning and Infrastructure, also calls for more public investment for Baixo Alentejo.
“It is important to take advantage, from now on, of the strategic structural funds that Portugal will receive” and that they be applied to “improvement of accessibility, modernization of the railway and the highway, in equipment and infrastructure”, to fix the population and fight depopulation and isolation, reads the motion.
If the country is willing to invest in a high speed rail connection between Beja and Montijo this can be an option. Additional roads with high speed busses can be an option too as long as travel time will be around 40 minutes.
By Robert Kooiman from Lisbon on 24 Jun 2022, 08:27
Beja Airport is an absolute must. It has a longer runway than either Lisbon or Faro and the capacity to handle new traffic.
The rail link would use the original route to the capital, still in place, and therefore easy to upgrade.
Just a question of allocating funds, with follow-up from the tourist bodies in Lisbon and Grandola to make it happen!
By Hugh IN The Alentejo from Alentejo on 24 Jun 2022, 11:13
All well to consider the airport as an alternative for Lisbon and Faro, as long as there is public participation and consultation , consider the environmental impact and bird life as well as human settlements underneath the access routes of aircraft, we already have to live with military and cargo planes flying at very low altitudes image more air traffic from commercial planes . Please consider that
By Pieter Labuschagne from Alentejo on 24 Jun 2022, 13:50
blah blah blah, just get on the phone and flog those slots, stop faffing about and get on with it. whats the hold up , waiting for daddy to give it the ok !
By mr magoo from UK on 24 Jun 2022, 15:54