Thierry Ligonnière, the CEO of the airport management company, stated that the report arises from consultations with 45 entities, including major airlines operating at Lisbon Airport, ground handling companies, several municipal councils, the National Civil Aviation Authority (ANAC), NAV Portugal – Air Navigation, among others. This report was delivered six months after the Government informed ANA of its intention for the concessionaire to proceed with the application for the new airport.
According to Ligonnière, the concessionaire plans to propose changes to the minimum specifications outlined in the concession contract. These changes anticipate a reduction in infrastructure costs, which will result in a smaller increase in airport fees.
The initial report submitted by ANA to the Government on December 17 projected a cost of 8.5 billion euros, with 7 billion euros funded through debt issuance, and an opening by mid-2037, or, with schedule optimizations to be negotiated with the Government, by the end of 2036.
In that document, the concessionaire proposed extending the current concession period by an additional 30 years and progressively increasing airport fees until 2030 to finance the new Lisbon airport.
The current contract, signed in 2012, allows for a concession period of 50 years. Should this proposal proceed, the period would be extended until 2092.
The initial report was made public after the Government informed ANA on January 17 of its intention for the concessionaire to proceed with the new airport application. Following this indication, ANA has 36 more months (three years) to submit the complete application, according to the concession contract.
The application process requires the submission of several documents, including the Consultation Report, the Selected Site Report, an Environmental Impact Study, the Technical Report, and the Financial Report.
In the initial report, ANA also stipulated, as a preliminary condition for starting the new airport’s construction, that the European Commission must validate that any potential compensations it may receive do not constitute State aid.
Infrastructure and Housing Minister Miguel Pinto Luz stated in February in parliament that the Government did not believe in the timelines, cost, and proposed fee increases by ANA and suggested a memorandum of understanding between both parties to negotiate these issues.
The Government also questioned the validity of the proposal to increase airport fees from 2026 to finance the construction of the new airport.
