“Our government’s commitment is primarily to job stability and ensuring that TAP continues to provide an independent and quality service at its hub,” stated Hugo Espírito Santo in parliament during the detailed review of the State Budget proposal for 2026, which involved over five hours of discussions and over a hundred questions concerning infrastructure.
The Secretary of State highlighted that the handling license for the airports in Lisbon, Porto, and Faro has not yet been awarded and that only a preliminary report exists. “Let’s allow the process to be completed,” he emphasized.
On October 16, Menzies (formerly Groundforce) announced that it had lost the bid for the renewal of handling licenses at Lisbon, Porto, and Faro airports on the mainland and intends to contest the results.
Various media outlets reported that the competition jury had selected a Spanish consortium comprising Clece and South.
Regarding the national mobility pass, Secretary of State for Mobility Cristina Pinto Dias responded to questions from the deputy Isabel Mendes Lopes of the Livre party, explaining that the country is “full of ticketing system islands” developed by different Intermunicipal Communities (CIM).
“The priority is to enable these islands to communicate with each other, and then, once integration is achieved, it will be possible to create a national pass, which is currently not feasible,” stated the Secretary of State.
Cristina Pinto Dias indicated that the government will announce a detailed schedule for how these phases will proceed.
