A petition with nearly two thousand signatures is calling for an end to night flights at the Humberto Delgado Airport (Lisbon Airport) and the right to rest for residents who live near the airport infrastructure.
The public petition, in print and online versions, was launched by the civic platform “Aeroporto Fora, Lisboa Melhora” (Out Airport, Better Lisbon) and is based on the fact that the Humberto Delgado Airport is located within the city.
“Lisbon Airport is the only major international airport still operating within a European capital city. This airport buffets more than 200,000 citizens of Lisbon with an unprecedented number of aircraft passing at low altitude,” the text of the petition reads.
In addition to the creation of this petition, the “Aeroporto Fora, Lisboa Melhorora” platform has already held public debate sessions in Alvalade and Campo de Ourique, two of the areas in the city of Lisbon most affected by the airport’s operations.
A third session will be held on Saturday in the parish of Avenidas Novas, aiming to “hear the different opinions of residents, according to Isabel Colher, of the “Aeroporto Fora, Lisboa Melhora” platform, explained to Lusa news agency.
“The idea is to have a debate. There are more unfavorable opinions and others that are neutral. Dr. Isabel do Carmo (a doctor) will also participate and give a presentation on the effects of noise and air pollution from airplanes. We will also take the opportunity to collect more signatures for the petition,” he said.
As Isabel Colher reported, many of the people who live near the Humberto Delgado Airport and the flight path “have to sleep with tampons” and “suffer from anxiety.
“Our platform is not against airports and airplanes. It is only against this airport because it is in the center of greater Lisbon,” he stressed.
FAC // MCL