Santana Lopes believes that an airport in the Center “would make the country think differently” and regrets that the region has not committed to implementing the project there.
The mayor of Figueira da Foz regretted on Wednesday night that the representative structures of the Center region had not presented in a timely manner a proposal for the construction of a new airport in Portugal.
“TO project for the Central region that defended territorial cohesion,” said Pedro Santana Lopes, who moderated the debate “One airport, three solutions.”within the framework of the “Figueira Foundos da Claridade” initiative, carried out at the Arts and Entertainment Center (CAE) of that city in the Coimbra district.
The mayor, who has returned to manage the destinations of Figueira da Foz since 2021Having already been president between 1997-2001, he considered that the regional structures did not work to present “a project that was most convenient” for the Center, which was currently being analyzed by the technical committee.
At the end of the debate, which brought together Luís Machado, José Furtado and Carlos Brazão, defenders of the Alcochete, Alverca and Santarém options, respectively, Santana Lopes once again lamented to journalists that the Central region “he has not presented a project that makes the country think differently.”
“The whole country needs to be rethought in terms of its balance, but the problem is that the rest of the country often waits for Lisbon residents to present projects,” said the former prime minister, who when he held these positions defended the opening of the Monte Real Air Base to civil aviation.
For the mayor of Figueira da Foz, “if the region had presented a more convenient project for the Center, it would have entered into battle with the other projects” that are being analyzed.
“The Central region did not have that attitude. The structures did not work and they did not step enough,” said Santana Lopes, recalling that, 20 years ago, during his first visit to the municipality, he had the impression that the Central region was not represented in the official delegations of the President of the Republic. and the Prime Minister on a visit abroad.
The mayor also mentioned that Santarém, by presenting a proposal for the installation of a new airport, “covers a little” the possibility of the Center having an airport infrastructure with another regional centrality.
“Santarém did, perhaps, although privately, what the Central region should have done. It could be more south or less south of the region, but it should have been in this entire process from the beginning,” he highlighted.
At the beginning of June, the president of the Figueirense municipality stated that the municipality did not subscribe to the deliberation of support for the location of the new airport in Santarém undertaken by the Intermunicipal Community (CIM) Coimbra Region and argued that the Center should have an airport infrastructure.
“We do not want to express any preference for any of the nine options, but There is a position of principle: the Central region should have its airport.“Said, at that time, Santana Lopes (Group of Citizens Eleitores Figueira a Primeira), in a speech in the period prior to the agenda of the executive meeting.
The Independent Technical Commission must deliver to the Government, before December 31, the report with the conclusions of its work indicating the best solution for the future airport in the Lisbon region.
Source: Observadora
