Tuesday, March 25, 2025 The tourism sector in Portugal is facing significant uncertainty due to delays in the construction of the new Lisbon Airport, a project that could take up to 20 years to complete. With the current timeline for the airport’s completion stretching to 2037, the lack of progress is causing alarm among industry leaders, who fear that prolonged delays will negatively impact the country’s tourism industry. According to Francisco Calheiros, president of the Portuguese Tourism Confederation (CTP), the tourism sector cannot afford to wait two decades for the new infrastructure.
Calheiros expressed deep concern in a recent interview with Lusa, emphasizing that the national tourism industry, which plays a key role in Portugal’s economy, would not be able to survive such a long wait without the necessary airport capacity. “I think it will take 20 years, and Portuguese tourism cannot survive 20 years without an airport,” Calheiros stated, referencing the uncertainty surrounding the location of the new airport. While the Alcochete Shooting Range has been proposed as the official location for the new airport, political instability and changes in government leadership have raised doubts about whether this plan will come to fruition.
Political Instability and Tourism Concerns The political landscape in Portugal adds to the uncertainty surrounding the new airport project. Calheiros points out that if a government led by the Socialist Party (PS) takes power, the.
