Lisbon, July 1, 2026 (Lusa) - Airline companies warned the Portuguese parliament on Wednesday that congestion at Lisbon Airport increases the risk of fines, pointing out that around 30% of delays and cancellations are caused by airports or air traffic control.
This position was conveyed by the head of the Representative Association of Airlines in Portugal (RENA), António Moura Portugal, at a hearing requested by the association itself before the Committee on Infrastructure, Mobility and Housing, as part of the consideration of the draft bill authorising the Government to review the regime governing civil aviation fines.
“The situation here is, above all, exacerbated by Lisbon airport. The level of airport congestion in Lisbon is public knowledge and widely recognised,” he stated, arguing that this situation has “a huge impact on the predictability of operations”.
According to him, this context “significantly” increases the likelihood of situations arising which, “in the abstract or potentially”, could be classified as offences, even if they do not necessarily lead to fines being imposed on airlines.
He stated that “around 30% of the cases leading, for example, to delays and cancellations, are caused either by the airports or by air navigation systems”.
“Lisbon today is, I would say, a source of serious concern in terms of the response that can be provided by all those operating here,” said the representative of 22 airlines, including TAP.
He argued that, when assessing a penalty system, it is necessary to take into account “where that system is being implemented” and the operational reality in which the airlines operate.
He also criticised the fact that many cases are notified years after the events took place, making it difficult for operators to defend themselves.
“In many cases, these proceedings are notified to the airlines many years after the events took place,” he said, adding that airlines are currently receiving notifications “relating to 2022”.
This delay causes “organisational chaos” and makes it more difficult to reconstruct the facts associated with flights from the distant past, particularly when there is no longer an obligation to retain certain records.
“When ANAC has five years to investigate cases and notifications arrive at the end of the fourth year, this makes it difficult for the defendants to mount a defence,” he said.
He cited offences relating to Covid certificates as an example, arguing that the individual imposition of fines could have had a very significant financial impact on some airlines.
“If those infringements had been imposed one by one, under the current penalty regime, some airlines would have gone bankrupt,” he said, adding that the issue “was only resolved in court and through the consolidation of cases granted by the court”.
The draft bill approved by the Government authorises the revision of Decree-Law No. 10/2004 of 9 January, which establishes the regime applicable to civil aviation fines.
The Government justifies the revision on the grounds of the need to update a regime that is more than two decades old, and to adapt the penalty framework to developments in the sector and to applicable European standards.
Also today, before the same parliamentary committee, the chair of the National Civil Aviation Authority (ANAC), Ana Vieira da Mata, argued that the revision of the framework is “highly relevant” and urgent, as it concerns legislation that is more than 20 years old.
The chair of the regulator stated that the current framework “has lost some of its effectiveness”, highlighting the need to update fines, allow for digital notifications, clarify responsibilities and adapt the penalty framework to the European ReFuel regulation.
SCR/AYLS // AYLS
Lusa
