The positions are contained in the joint opinion that Environmental Non-Governmental Organizations (ONGA) delivered as part of the public consultation on the preliminary report of the independent technical committee (CTI) responsible for the strategic environmental assessment of the new airport.

According to the document, released by the Zero association, the nine organizations emphasize that “in most environmental and public health descriptors, Vendas Novas stands out as more favourable, with the exception of the forestry dimension and surface water resources”.

“All options that include Montijo are environmentally unviable”, emphasize the associations, calling on the responsible entities to “refuse, from now on, the renewal of the DIA [Environmental Impact Statement] relating to Montijo Airport and its accessibility”.

Vendas Novas, according to the ONGA, also has an advantage with regard to safety and air navigability, as, even though it presents similar conditions, the risks of interference with the natural corridors of migratory birds are “almost certainly much more serious in Campo de Tiro of Alcochete”.

“In terms of ecological impact, particularly in relation to birdlife, as well as the impact of forest areas and risks to the aquifer of the lower Tagus and Sado, Alcochete stands out as the most unfavourable of the three environmentally viable options”, they emphasise.

Valuing public transport, especially conventional railways, the associations highlight that, in this case, Alcochete is “significantly more unfavourable than other environmentally viable options”, due to the “high costs” necessary for new accessibility.

“The costs of new accessibility directly related to the airport must be allocated to each of the options”, they maintain.

Considering that “the airport city and the necessary investments were not fully explored”, the ONGA note that the environmental impacts of the occupation of the area belonging to the Alcochete Shooting Field for the purposes of developing activities related to aerial activity were not “fully considered”.

“In this aspect, it seems to be the most unfavourable location of the three”, they emphasise.

Environmental organizations also ask that, “regardless of the solution to be adopted” for the new Lisbon airport, “immediate priority be given to mitigating the impacts” of the current one and present solutions.

The nine organizations are the Association for the Defense of Cultural and Environmental Heritage of the Algarve (Almargem), Associação Natureza Portugal, in association with WWF (ANP|WWF), A Rocha - Christian Association for Studies and Defence of the Environment and FAPAS - Associação Portuguesa for Biodiversity Conservation.

The Territory and Environmental Planning Study Group (GEOTA), League for the Protection of Nature (LPN), Quercus – National Association for Nature Conservation, Portuguese Society for the Study of Birds (SPEA) and the Zero association are the remaining .

The public consultation period for the preliminary report by the CTI responsible for the strategic environmental assessment of the new airport, which identified Alcochete and Vendas Novas as the two viable options, ended on Friday 26 January 2024.

The commission considered that, of the nine options under study, Alcochete is the one with the most advantage, with a first phase in a dual model with Humberto Delgado Airport, then moving to a single infrastructure on the south bank of the Tagus River, but it was also considered viable the New Sales option, along the same lines.