In a statement, Zero said that, in the last two weeks, 115 flights were recorded at Humberto Delgado Airport in Lisbon, above the permitted number.

According to a 2004 ordinance, a maximum of 91 weekly air movements and 26 daily flights are established between 00:00 and 06:00.

The ordinance also establishes that the authorisation of air movements during the night period is subject to the noise levels of the aircraft used.

“In the last two weeks, Zero recorded 139 air movements (48 more than permitted) in the week between 12 and 18 August and 158 air movements (67 more) in the week between 19 and 25 of the same month, in violation of the limits established in the legislation that allowed for exceptions in 2004”, Zero highlights.

The environmental association also indicates that, on the 20th of this month, 33 air movements were recorded between 00:00 and 06:00, “in violation of the daily maximum permitted by the exception to the general law”.

“The latest known figure for the overall value of fines applied in these cases is just 52,400 euros in 2022, which is negligible compared to the 206 million euros in public health costs that were determined in 2019 by the Working Group of the Assembly of the Republic within the scope of the Study and Assessment of Night Traffic at Humberto Delgado Airport”, says Zero.

In view of this situation, the association advocates a set of measures, namely the establishment of a period without scheduled flights between 00:30 and 05:00, “with flexibility for delayed movements to occur until half past midnight”.

“Given the seriousness of the situation, Zero wants the authorities to apply the conclusions of the working group that analysed night flights at Lisbon Airport, ensuring that, as a first step, in the summer of 2025, landing and take-off operations at Humberto Delgado Airport will be completely banned between midnight and five in the morning”, the note highlights.

Zero also advocates for “the infrastructure manager to be required to publish monthly the number of people affected by nighttime noise levels above 45 decibels and to define a strategy for compliance with the noise law.

The association also wants “the application of a noise tax to flights, based on their noise emissions”, as well as the review of fines for violations of the legislation”.

“According to Zero’s counter, available on the zero.ong page, the costs of not closing Humberto Delgado Airport are already close to 10 billion euros since 2015, the year in which the infrastructure should have been closed”, indicates the association.