Porto, May 30, 2025 (Lusa) - Fog combined with the temporary inoperability of the instrument landing system (ILS) due to ongoing works at Porto airport led to further delays and cancellations of several flights on Friday.
According to the ANA - Aeroportos de Portugal website, between 06:10 and 12:00, almost two dozen flights were cancelled, including landings and take-offs, and there were delays to several flights. Four flights had to be diverted to other airports.
The same situation occurred on Monday, 26 May, when NAV Portugal told the Lusa news agency that the fog that had settled over the Porto area that morning "had some impact on operations at the airport, with disruptions reported in the first two hours of operation".
"It should be noted that the instrument landing system at Porto Airport is temporarily out of service as planned due to ongoing works on that infrastructure," said the company responsible for air traffic management at the time.
On Monday, NAV explained that "the combination of the temporary unavailability of the ILS and reduced visibility explained the restrictions" on that day, which were again observed today.
NAV also said that the situation at Porto airport was communicated in a timely manner to all air operators and is part of the usual planning for this type of intervention.
The works are scheduled to run until February 2026.
As of Monday, Lusa again questioned ANA - Aeroportos de Portugal about how many flights were affected and when the ILS would be operational again, but the airport operator has not yet responded.
On 27 May 2024, ANA announced that the reinforcement of the runway at the airport would begin on 31 July of that year, adding that the work would take 19 months and involve an investment of €50 million.
ANA explained that the works aimed to "reinforce the airport's operating conditions, this being the largest intervention carried out on the runway of this infrastructure".
The work on the runway and adjacent areas includes the complete resurfacing of the wearing course of runway 17-35, structural reinforcement of the runway, adjustment of the geometry of the runway strip and the approach line (lighting) of runways 17 and 35, as well as the replacement of the runway lighting systems with LED lights.
The work also includes the complete renovation of the runway drainage system and the installation of civil infrastructure for the implementation of navigation equipment (ILS Category II) on Runway 35, which will enable operations in low visibility conditions.
JGS/ADB // ADB.
Lusa
