Rui Moreira stressed that he has “nothing against Santarém”, but considered that an airport located 85 kilometres from Lisbon would be a “strategic mistake”.

That would be, in his view, “an excessive distance”.

The mayor stressed the need to “maximize a 'hub' in Lisbon” and, as such, defended that his position is similar to that of the mayor of Lisbon, Carlos Moedas (PSD), in terms of the importance of an airport in Portela + 1, the current one with fewer flights and the new one being closer to the city of Lisbon.

Like his counterpart Carlos Moedas, Moreira defends the urgency of a new airport, considering that there are political conditions for a solution to be found by the end of 2023.

“There seems to be an important factor here with the PSD leader saying he wants a constructive solution. Having and realizing that there are talks between the Government and the opposition party seems useful”, he explained, considering “that today there is an easier political circumstance than three years ago” when the leader of the PSD was Rui Rio.