Why night flights will soon be banned in Lisbon

Soon, visitors will no longer be arriving at Lisbon airport at all hours.

Portugal’s Minister for Infrastructure and Housing, Miguel Pinto Luz, said during a speech to parliament that the Portuguese capital would soon see no flights between the hours of 1am and 5am, reports SchengenNews.

This solution seeks to reduce not only noise from air traffic but also pollution—two grievances widely decried by the people of Lisbon. 

Although the number of night flights is technically limited, the non-governmental organisation Zero claims that this limit is not respected.

Each week, Lisbon is supposed to see no more than 92 night flights. However, there are around 160, according to calculations by protesters belonging to the “Aeroporto fora, Lisboa melhora” (Airport out, Lisbon improves) collective, which has helped to voice the concerns of Lisbon residents.

It remains to be seen when this curfew will come into force. 

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Millions of people visited Lisbon this year

Heavy air traffic goes hand in hand with growing tourism in Lisbon and Portugal in general.

Between January and August this year, the country welcomed 13.1 million visitors, up 6.7% year-on-year. 

This decision is not unlike that of the Amsterdam authorities, who have decided to place restrictions on the noisiest flights from Schiphol Airport by 2025.

In particular, the Boeing 747-400 will be banned from taking off or landing in the Dutch capital between 11 pm and 7 am.

In service for some 50 years, this model is widely used for cargo and is considered twice as noisy as its more modern version, the 747-8.

The next step could come in November 2026, when Schiphol will be partially or even totally closed at night.

This decision has already been approved by the CEO of this major airport, which saw passenger numbers rise by 10% in the first six months of the year alone.

In 2024, it is estimated that between 65 and 68 million passengers will have passed through Schiphol Airport. 

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