In a private municipal executive meeting, the motion was approved with the votes in favour of the PSD/CDS-PP leadership, as well as the councillors from BE and the independent woman elected by the PS/Livre coalition, who signed the initiative of PCP and Livre, while PS voted against the expression of repudiation, but voted in favour of the remaining points of the document.

"To express to the Government the strongest repudiation and firm rejection of the proposal to authorise unlimited night flights at Humberto Delgado Airport, even if on a temporary basis", is the first point of the motion, which was approved by a majority, with the votes against of four socialist councillors, an abstention also from the PS and the votes in favour of the remaining 12 elected members of the municipal executive (seven from the PSD/CDS-PP, two from the PCP, one from Livre, one from BE and one from the independent elected by the PS/Livre coalition).

In this motion, the Lisbon City Council considers that the Government's intention to authorise, even temporarily, unlimited night flights at Humberto Delgado Airport is "deeply damaging to the health, tranquillity and safety of the population".

The city council also urges the Government to respect previously assumed commitments, namely to "ensure no night flights at Humberto Delgado Airport, under the terms previously proposed by Lisbon City Hall, putting an end to the current exceptional regime".

The council's position should be forwarded to the Prime Minister, the Minister for Infrastructure and Housing, the parliamentary groups in the Assembly of the Republic and the National Civil Aviation Authority, as well as the Zero - Sustainable Earth System Association.

On the agenda of today's meeting, the discussion of the PCP and Livre proposals on the measures for the materialisation of a new airport infrastructure in the Lisbon region and the phased deactivation of Humberto Delgado Airport was scheduled, but were postponed due to the interest of other political forces in presenting initiatives on the subject.

These proposals on the new airport in the Lisbon region had already been postponed on 27 July, at the public meeting of the municipal executive, because the PCP refused to discuss the matter in the absence of the mayor, Carlos Moedas (PSD), who had left the room minutes before.

In July this year, the Zero association recorded the number of night flights and denounced that, in the week of July 11, 140 flights were carried out, "exceeding the limit defined in the ordinance by more than 50%, in a clear violation of legislation and a clear disrespect for the welfare, health and quality of life of those who sleep in Lisbon", is also referred to in the motion.

The joint motion from PCP and Livre comes after the intention of NAV - Portuguese Air Navigation to extend the schedule of flights in Lisbon, for the night period, between 18 October and 29 November, due to the implementation of the new Top Sky control system.

NAV's official source previously explained to Lusa that it is a question of extending the schedule of flights in Lisbon, for the night period, not to increase the volume of traffic, but to distribute flights over more hours, thus allowing the air traffic control system to be updated, as of 18 October.

Thus, the idea is that the exceptional regime will be in force between October 18 and November 29, NAV said.

Lisbon airport is under a night flight restriction regime, which sets a limit of 91 flights per week between 00:00 and 06:00 due to noise.

The Top Sky project, common to six other countries and coordinated by Eurocontrol, was presented by NAV in 2019 and foresees an investment of 103.8 million euros, until 2023.