Porto, June 22, 2026 (Lusa) - The Mayor of Porto, Pedro Duarte, gave a “positive assessment” on Sunday of the “successful weekend” of Air Invictus, but the city council will still carry out “a more thorough assessment” of the event’s impact on the city.
“At first glance, I would say it has been a highly successful weekend for the city, and the overall assessment is positive. It is clear that we will subsequently carry out a more rigorous assessment of the impact of this initiative, starting with the number of people involved and the economic impact on the city as well,” the mayor told Lusa on Sunday, adding that this assessment will be carried out in conjunction with the other local authorities and the event organisers.
Pedro Duarte, who was attending the event at Alfândega do Porto, highlighted the “joy and energy” he said he felt on the city’s streets and stated that this was “just one more” in a series of events taking place in the municipality over the coming days.
In addition to Air Invictus, which runs from Friday to Sunday, Porto will host the Babell literary festival and the São João celebrations in the coming days.
Regarding a possible second edition, the mayor considered it premature, but acknowledged that it would be “very interesting” for the city.
“We’re hoping that this concept will take root and become established,” he added.
Air Invictus implied several traffic diversions in the city’s riverside areas, and the mayor acknowledged the inconvenience caused to residents and shopkeepers in these areas.
“We cannot be insensitive to this fact, but, at the same time, it is very interesting to see the number of people who managed to get to this area using various modes of transport, whether on foot, by bicycle or by other sustainable means of transport, and the fact that the city continues to function,” he emphasised.
For Pedro Duarte, these moments are valuable in helping people realise that “we don’t need our cars as much as we sometimes think we do”.
“In the conversations I’ve had over the last few minutes, there were two instances where people told me they’d cycled here and that they themselves were surprised at how enjoyable it was to cycle here, because it was a new experience. If these events also help to change people’s habits, that’s yet another positive outcome,” he said.
The closing ceremony of the first edition of Air Invictus is scheduled for 8.00 pm, with the trophy presentation to the winners of the Air Race Showcase at Cais de Gaia.
According to the organisers, around 350,000 people attended on Saturday.
AFG/ADB // ADB.
Lusa
