A popular European capital has banned night flights after citizens got tired of complaining. Lisbon in Portugal in the European Union welcomed 18.76 million tourists last year but has restricted flights in a clampdown following angry complaints.
It has banned night flights btween 1am and 5am local time. Flights will no longer travel in or out of Lisbon’s Humberto Delgado Airport. The decision followed years of protests from local citizens, it has emerged this week, with UK tourists warned.
This hard curfew comes after the government listened to local citizens and environmental groups, as well as the city council. Night flights have been an ongoing issue in Lisbon, disrupting the sleep of city residents. Zero, a Portuguese environmental non-governmental organisation, first requested the night flight ban in the summer, warning that aircraft were causing noise and air pollution.
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Miguel Pinto Luz, the minister for infrastructure and housing, made the announcement and described the ban as a “giant step forward”. Miguel said that the move followed the conclusions of a working group put together to study the issue of night flights.
“The working group (…) has already concluded and I can announce here that we are going to implement a ‘hard curfew’ that will prevent flights between 01:00 and 05:00 in the morning,” he said, in response to a question put by LIVRE MP Isabel Mendes Dias.
The minister admitted the decision is “a giant step forward” compared to what is currently happening – referring to the “criticism from municipalities, mayors and citizens regarding the noise caused by airplanes, as well as pollution”.
Citizens want the obsolete airport closed as soon as possible and the airport sighted ‘outside the city’, in an area that will reduce the negative consequences impacting people’s lives. A start date is yet to be confirmed for the ban.
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