The Minister of Infrastructure and Housing Miguel Pinto Luz visited the works under way at Humberto Delgado Airport to improve operating efficiency and passenger experience.

In all, the intervention will cover 30 000 square metres of the airport to expand Terminal 1 and improve boarding facilities directly linked to the terminal by building 10 new air bridges and 10 new parking slots for aircraft in works estimated to cost at 233 million euros.

There is also under way the enlargement and upgrade of the Terminal 2 boarding area, the end if which is scheduled for April, always with a view to improve the service offered to passengers, namely by completely renovating the boarding areas, with more space, more natural light, more seats, and more retail outlets. Three new boarding gates of the seven contemplated are now available.

An innovative biometric technology system will be installed to check boarding documents on all gates, a system that is already under testing with the airlines largely embracing it.

The visit also served the purposes of getting to new other Humberto Delgado Airport features, namely the falconry that allows the risk of bird collision at Portela to be avoided.

Miguel Pinto Luz got to know the optimisation of the operations carried out in 2024 through the creation of swift runway exits and improving taxiways. 

He also visited the Operation Coordination Centre (APOC), the airport’s operational brains where all the resources and players are programmed, as well as the firefighting department, from where relief is dispatched in two minutes to anywhere and which has highly qualified personnel, as seen in a drill.

"Anyone who uses Humberto Delgado Airport knows it is highly congested and that it needed the decisions that were taken to continue with investing. This is the gateway by many passengers into our country and a very important asset for the Portuguese people’s mobility. We want it to respond to a service of excellence at the highest level until the new Lisbon Airport is built" Miguel Pinto Luz noted.

In terms of results for 2024, Humberto Delgado Airport had a total of 229 932 movements, with a focus on the 21 086 recorded in August alone, and a total of 35 million passengers throughout the year.