Lisbon, April 15, 2026 (Lusa) – Portugal’s Environment and Energy Minister Maria da Graca Carvalho said on Wednesday the government is “strictly complying with the law” regarding night flights at Lisbon airport and told MPs they have "all the tools" to change the legislation. The minister was speaking during a parliamentary hearing with the Environment and Energy committee, requested by the PS (Socialist Party) focused on night flights in Lisbon.
The minister said Portugal’s environment agency (APA) and the national civil aviation authority (ANAC) are independent entities. She said the government does not interfere in environmental impact assessments or the inspection and penalisation of night operations.
"The only thing we are doing here is complying with the law," she said, referring to the environmental impact of works at Humberto Delgado Airport and ANAC’s oversight of night flights.
According to the minister, Humberto Delgado airport follows a special night flight regime resulting from the transposition of European rules into national law, with specific application detailed by ministerial order. ANAC is responsible for inspection, processing, and initiating sanctioning proceedings.
The minister noted that 870 reports of operational non-compliance occurred between 1 June and 31 August 2025. Officials archived 153 cases due to force majeure, while they treated the rest as violations.
The minister said these failures resulted from delays accumulated throughout the day, European network congestion, weather events, and other operational disruptions. She said ANAC is conducting a "rigorous inspection" of reports and applying penalties for slot violations.
She insisted the government cannot replace the relevant authorities in these matters.
"At this moment, we absolutely comply with the law and the independence of these institutions," she said.
She told parliament they are responsible for any changes to the current rules. "If MPs think the fines or the night flight noise rules should be different, they have all the tools to change that legislation," she said.
Infrastructure Minister Miguel Pinto Luz announced in November 2024 a total ban on flights between 1:00 a.m. and 5:00 a.m., as recommended by a working group report from July 2022.
The cabinet meeting previously ordered ANAC in March 2025 to implement new night restrictions. These included limits on noisy aircraft between 11:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m., a period without slots between 1:00 a.m. and 5:00 a.m., and new noise reduction procedures.
In today's hearing, the minister said she did not know the total fine which the General Inspectorate for Agriculture, Sea, Environment and Spatial Planning (IGAMAOT – the environmental watchdog) had applied to airport operator ANA. The minister said she learned through the media that ANA had appealed the decision in court.
As Lusa reported, the airport operator would appeal the fine for failing to follow the noise action plan.
"It is not about the amount. The value is completely symbolic, even compared to our voluntary contribution to building insulation," ANA CEO Thierry Ligonnière said in January. He said the company had fully complied with the obligations in the plan.
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