The fog experienced this morning in the Porto area impacted operations at Sá Carneiro Airport, with noted diversions during the initial two hours of operation. NAV Portugal clarified in a written response that the instrument landing system (ILS) at Porto Airport is temporarily offline due to scheduled infrastructure work.
The air traffic management company highlighted that the combination of the temporary ILS unavailability and reduced visibility conditions caused the observed restrictions this morning.
NAV also noted that this situation was communicated in advance to all air operators and falls within the usual planning for such interventions.
The construction work is expected to continue until February 2026.
ANA – Aeroportos de Portugal was questioned about the number of affected flights and the expected ILS operational date, but no response has been received yet.
On May 27, 2024, ANA announced that the reinforcement of the runway at Francisco Sá Carneiro Airport in Maia, Porto district, would begin on July 31 of that year, stating the project would take 19 months and involve an investment of 50 million euros.
ANA explained that the work aims to enhance the airport’s operational conditions, marking the most significant intervention ever conducted on this runway.
The runway and adjacent area work includes a complete repaving of the runway 17-35 wear layer, structural reinforcement interventions, adjustments to the runway strip geometry, and signal lighting of runways 17 and 35, along with the replacement of the runway lighting systems with LEDs.
The project also involves a comprehensive renewal of the runway’s drainage system and the installation of civil infrastructures for implementing ILS category II on runway 35, facilitating operations in low visibility.
