Porto, Portugal, March 16, 2026 (Lusa) - Prime Minister Luís Montenegro argued on Monday that Vinci, the owner of the Portuguese airports managing concessionaire, has its most profitable operation in the world in Portugal, which is why it is possible to "do more and faster" at Portuguese airports.
"I have to say, eye to eye, it is possible to do more and it is possible to do more quickly. It is possible to do more and faster in Porto, it is possible to do more and faster in Lisbon, it is possible to do more and faster in Faro and also in the autonomous regions," stated Luís Montenegro at the 80th anniversary of Francisco Sá Carneiro Airport, in Maia, Porto.
The head of the executive, taking advantage of the presence of Vinci's leaders, recalled that it has its most profitable operation in the world in Portugal, with no greater profitability elsewhere.
"And, therefore, for those who offer your company the possibility of having this result, you cannot expect us not to have, with respect, the demand for the investment to correspond precisely to that profitability," Montenegro shot back.
The Prime Minister, who had the Minister of Infrastructure, Miguel Pinto Luz, in the audience, said he wants the new Lisbon airport built as quickly as possible and within the budget already predetermined.
"In this regard, I want to remind you here that with all the contractual instruments that link the Portuguese State to the concessionaire, to Vinci, we actually have deadlines and costs to meet and we will not waive that either, we will not stop using all the provisions of our contract so that we can have this planning and execution carried out in accordance with the interests of the Portuguese State, the Portuguese people and economic agents," he noted.
But, he added, "the construction of the new Lisbon airport must be accompanied by investment in all other airports", namely in Porto, Faro and the autonomous region.
Montenegro pointed out that it is necessary to value the other airports while building a new one, so that the country can be competitive as a whole.
"Because if we are competitive as a whole, all regions will win. If we allow only one or two of them to gain a dimension and an investment momentum, we will harm the global objective and we are not here to accept that," he stressed.
The Prime Minister highlighted that Portugal is only competitive and makes a difference if there is an across the board investment in all infrastructures.
"Because that is how the country uses public resources to reflect the investments it makes in people's lives," he concluded.
ANA Aeroportos, the airports managing concessionaire, owned by Vinci, predicts the opening of the new Lisbon airport in mid-2037, or, with schedule optimisations to be negotiated with the Government, at the end of 2036.
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