Lisbon Gets New Airport by 2037: How a Firing Range Move to Alter do Chão Changes Everything

The Portugal Ministry of Defense has confirmed that the Air Force's firing range will relocate from Alcochete to Alter do Chão, a move that clears the path for the country's most ambitious infrastructure project in decades: the Luís de Camões Airport. Defense Minister Nuno Melo announced the decision this week, signaling the start of a complex land transfer that will reshape both the capital region's aviation future and the economic landscape of a small Alentejo municipality.

The relocation is not optional—it is the linchpin for desmilitarizing 7,500 hectares in Alcochete, where the new airport is slated to replace Lisbon's overcrowded Humberto Delgado Airport by mid-2037. Without a functioning alternative range, the armed forces cannot vacate the site, and the airport project stalls.

Why This Matters

• Airport timeline depends on it: The new Lisbon airport cannot proceed until the Alcochete firing range is fully decommissioned and relocated.

• Rural Alentejo gets 200 military families: Alter do Chão, population 3,000, will see a significant influx of residents, with promised infrastructure upgrades.

• Environmental and legal hurdles ahead: Impact studies and administrative procedures are mandatory before construction begins, meaning the range won't be operational for years.

Alter do Chão: From Quiet Interior to Military Hub

Alter do Chão, tucked into the Portalegre district in the Alentejo interior, is set to become home to Portugal's primary Air Force training and live-fire facility. The new range will span roughly 7,500 hectares—equivalent to more than 10,000 football pitches—making it one of the largest military installations in the country.

Minister Melo framed the move as a dual opportunity: liberating strategic land near Lisbon while injecting life into a municipality that has struggled with depopulation and economic stagnation. The arrival of approximately 200 military personnel and their families is expected to boost local commerce, fill school seats, and create demand for housing and services.

Francisco Miranda, mayor of Alter do Chão, welcomed the decision, calling it a "catalyst for development." The municipality has been promised compensatory investments, including upgrades to road networks and the construction of housing units for military families. Specific amounts and timelines have not been disclosed, but the local government views the range as a rare chance to reverse decades of decline.

The Alcochete Puzzle: Why the Range Must Move

The decision to relocate the firing range is inseparable from the Portugal government's 2024 approval of the Luís de Camões Airport, a project designed to address Lisbon's chronic air traffic congestion. The current Humberto Delgado Airport, hemmed in by urban sprawl, has long been operating near capacity.

Alcochete emerged as the preferred site after recommendations from an independent technical commission, which cited its location on public land and the absence of large-scale expropriations. But the site is currently occupied by a multi-service firing range used by the Air Force, Army, and various security forces. Desmilitarization is not a matter of simply packing up—it requires a fully operational replacement facility.

The new airport is expected to open between 2036 and 2037, according to ANA Aeroportos, the concessionaire. That timeline hinges on the speed at which Alter do Chão can be developed and the range operational. Any delay in the relocation cascades through the entire airport schedule.

Environmental Safeguards and Local Concerns

The announcement has raised predictable questions about noise, soil contamination, and fire risk in Alter do Chão. Military officials moved quickly to address them.

General Sérgio Pereira, Chief of the Air Force, insisted that contamination concerns are unfounded. He pointed to the Alcochete range's environmental certification, in place since 2001, and stressed that live ammunition use is minimal and tightly controlled. Every round fired is logged, and all debris is collected and treated. Unexploded ordnance is neutralized by specialized teams.

General João Cartaxo Alves, head of the Armed Forces General Staff, added that exercises are scheduled outside peak wildfire season, a critical consideration in Portugal's increasingly volatile climate. The military has committed to replicating the same environmental protocols in Alter do Chão, though formal impact assessments are still pending.

Those studies are legally required before construction can begin. Minister Melo acknowledged that the project faces a "series of deliberative and administrative procedures," including environmental reviews, public consultations, and regulatory approvals. The Air Force was required to submit initial feasibility studies by December 2025, but the full timeline for construction and commissioning remains unclear.

What This Means for Residents

For people living in the Lisbon metropolitan area, the relocation is a necessary but invisible step toward a long-promised aviation overhaul. The new airport is expected to ease travel bottlenecks, improve connectivity, and reduce noise over the capital's densest neighborhoods.

For residents of Alter do Chão and the broader Portalegre district, the implications are more immediate and complex. The influx of 200 military families represents a 6-7% population increase, potentially stabilizing local demographics and tax revenues. Schools, cafes, and shops stand to benefit. But the community will also need to absorb the social and logistical impact of a major military facility—including increased traffic, altered land use, and the psychological adjustment to living near a live-fire training zone.

The promised infrastructure investments could be transformative if executed properly, but the lack of concrete figures or timelines leaves room for skepticism. Portugal's track record on delivering rural development projects has been inconsistent, and residents will be watching closely to ensure the government follows through.

A High-Stakes Shuffle

The transfer of the firing range is emblematic of a broader tension in Portuguese governance: balancing national priorities with local impacts. The Alcochete-to-Alter do Chão swap is rational on paper, but it compresses decades of rural decline and urban expansion into a single administrative decision.

Alternatives were considered. Mértola and Serpa were floated as possible range sites but rejected by local officials who cited environmental and cultural concerns. Vendas Novas was discussed as an airport location but ruled out due to expropriation costs. In the end, Alcochete for the airport and Alter do Chão for the range emerged as the path of least resistance—at least politically.

The real test will come in execution. The Portugal Air Force must build a state-of-the-art facility on undeveloped land, navigate environmental and legal approvals, and coordinate with multiple government agencies—all while maintaining operational readiness. Meanwhile, ANA Aeroportos is counting on the desmilitarization schedule to hit its 2037 airport opening.

For now, the announcement represents progress, but the hard work—and the real consequences—lie ahead. Alter do Chão's transformation from quiet interior town to military logistics hub will unfold over the next decade, and whether it becomes a model of strategic planning or a cautionary tale of unintended consequences depends entirely on what happens next.