The alert coincides with the International Day for the Prohibition of Night Flights at Airports, observed next Saturday and established by 200 organizations worldwide.
Today, in a statement, Portuguese organizations reiterated that flights between 11:00 PM and 7:00 AM “are harmful to health and the climate, are unfair, and must be eliminated now.”
They explain that exposure to noise and aircraft pollution leads to severe health consequences, including cardiovascular diseases, cognitive impairment in children, mental health issues, sleep disturbances, and diabetes.
Aviation emissions also contribute to global warming and climate disruption, they add.
“We need to set red lines for airports: night flights are dangerous, unnecessary, and avoidable,” the associations state, noting their observance of the day on the 13th in solidarity with communities affected by night flights and increasing air traffic both nationally and globally.
In Europe alone, they report that over 3.4 million people living near 98 major airports are exposed to noise levels above legal limits.
In Lisbon, an average of 80 flights each night disturbs sleep, with more than 388,000 people subjected to noise above the maximum level set by the World Health Organization (WHO), according to figures shared by the environmental group Zero.
The law permits up to 91 weekly flights between midnight and 6:00 AM, yet this limit is not adhered to, and “even if it were, those flights would still be incompatible with the General Noise Law and European legislation,” states the communiqué.
The document further mentions the “excessive increase” in air traffic, notes the “illegal expansion” of capacity at Humberto Delgado Airport by the company ANA Aeroportos, and warns, “Airlines and ANA Aeroportos are repeatedly disobeying national and international laws and regulations to boost air traffic, jeopardizing our health and climate stability.”
They also accuse the state of using 10 million euros from the Environmental Fund for soundproofing works near the airport, instead of mandating ANA to stop night flights.
The associations, including ATERRA, Associação dos Inquilinos Lisbonenses, Quercus, and Geota, assert that banning night flights does not require courage, but merely “the common sense to follow the law, the residents’ will, and the recommendations of the WHO and scientific community.”
According to the document, actions will take place in cities worldwide on Saturday.
In Lisbon, associations and residents have decided to put red lines on their building facades to highlight “the desperate public health situation that air traffic presents today in the city.”
