The environmental association ZERO launched this Friday, September 4th, a monitoring platform for night flights at Humberto Delgado Airport in Lisbon, accusing the Government of failing to fulfill the commitment made over a year ago to prohibit flights between 1:00 AM and 5:00 AM. The organization maintains that the legal limit on air movements during the nighttime period has been systematically exceeded.
According to ZERO's data, since the beginning of 2026, 4,647 air movements have been recorded between midnight and 6:00 AM, of which 1,165 occurred during the period in which the Executive had announced a future prohibition. In the 35 weeks analyzed, the weekly limit of 91 movements was exceeded on 33 occasions, and on 23 nights, the daily maximum of 26 movements was also exceeded. The week of August 17 to 23 recorded 187 movements, 96 more than the established weekly limit.
The platform, based on data from Flightradar24, aims to provide daily information on arrivals and departures during the nighttime period. ZERO acknowledges that legislation provides for exceptions, and therefore requests that the National Civil Aviation Authority clarify which flights are covered by legal exceptions and which may constitute non-compliance.
The association recalls that in March 2025, the Government announced its intention to implement the restriction between 1:00 AM and 5:00 AM, but 536 days later, the measure remains unimplemented. ZERO also demands a timeline for the implementation of the measures and criticizes the possibility of increasing the airport's capacity from 38 to 40 movements per hour, arguing that such a decision can only proceed after an Environmental Impact Assessment. ANAC and the Government have not yet responded to ZERO's positions.
