Lisbon slaps airlines with record fines, signals tougher overnight curfew

Midnight departures leaving you wide-awake in Lisbon may soon become rarer. Portugal’s aviation regulator has taken the unusual step of publicly tallying the cost of sleepless nights, handing out almost €2 M in fines in just six months and signalling that a tougher curfew at Humberto Delgado Airport is no longer a distant threat but an imminent reality.

Why the crackdown resonates beyond the runway

Foreign residents clustered in Alvalade, Olivais or the historic centre know that the capital’s airport is wedged into the city like a shoehorn. When aircraft roar overhead after midnight, bedroom windows vibrate and Zoom meetings the next morning start with complaints about lost sleep. By penalising carriers that operate between 00:00 and 06:00—outside the permitted daily quota of 26 movements—ANAC is effectively putting a price on nocturnal noise. For newcomers weighing up a move to Portugal, the message is clear: the authorities are finally treating noise pollution as a public-health issue, not just a nuisance.

Record penalties, veiled offenders

In the first half of 2025 the National Civil Aviation Authority (ANAC) opened 51 proceedings and wrapped up 81, collecting €1.98 M in fines—eight times the figure recorded two years ago. The watchdog will not name the airlines, citing legal confidentiality, but industry insiders say the bulk of infractions involve European flag carriers and low-cost operators racing to make up for earlier delays. Whatever the identities, the trend is unmistakable: after €266 K in penalties in 2023 and €8.7 M last year, Portugal has shifted from symbolic slaps to sizeable bills.

How Portugal’s night-flight limits actually work

The current rulebook is anchored in Portaria n.º 303-A/2004 and refreshed by the government’s March 2025 resolution. Between midnight and 6 a.m. only 91 weekly slots are available and even those are tiered by aircraft noise level. Anything louder than 98.9 EPNdB is grounded between 23:00 and 07:00, while the most hushed jets face only the slot ceiling itself. A new “hard curfew” under design would ban all scheduled flights from 01:00 to 05:00, mirroring the German model at Frankfurt. Exceptions—medical emergencies, state flights or extreme weather diversions—will remain, but airlines breaking the rules for purely commercial reasons now risk five-figure fines per movement and, in repeat cases, the loss of slots in the following season.

Health, housing and legal pressure converge

Environmental group ZERO estimates that 388 000 people in Greater Lisbon endure chronic aircraft noise, citing studies linking the din to hypertension, anxiety and disrupted childhood learning. The Julio de Matos psychiatric hospital—less than 2 km from the runway—has publicly described overhead traffic as a barrier to patient recovery. In response the government has earmarked €10 M from the Environmental Fund for the “Programa Menos Ruído,” paying for double-glazing and façade insulation in the four municipalities most affected. That may offer immediate relief, but officials privately concede the only long-term fix is relocating traffic to the proposed Luís de Camões airport in Alcochete, unlikely to open before the next decade.

How does Portugal stack up in Europe?

Lisbon’s impending curfew would put the city in the same league as Amsterdam Schiphol, which plans a ceiling of 27 000 night flights, and Frankfurt, already closed between 23:00 and 05:00. London’s airports operate on a seasonal quota system rather than a blanket ban, while Budapest and Cologne have enforced midnight-to-05:00 prohibitions for years. Under EU Regulation 598/2014, national measures must follow the “balanced approach”, weighing noise abatement against economic need. Portugal’s fines are therefore not just punitive; they build a dossier to justify stricter limits to Brussels if challenged by airlines.

What travellers and residents should expect next

ANAC’s consultation on the 01:00-05:00 hard curfew closes this autumn, and the Ministry of Infrastructure aims to publish enabling legislation before year-end. Carriers are already adjusting schedules, squeezing late-evening departures into earlier slots or rerouting overnight services through Porto. For expats, that could translate into fewer bargain red-eyes but also quieter nights. Property owners near the flight path may see a modest rise in valuations if noise levels drop, though real-estate agents note demand is still driven primarily by proximity to the metro and the city’s cultural life.

Staying informed—and sleeping better

If you live under the glide path, sign up for ANAC’s bilingual alerts or check the “Chegadas e Partidas” dashboard on ANA Aeroportos’ website before calling the landlord about rattling windows. Frequent flyers should watch for schedule changes, especially on routes to major European hubs; the same ticket may land you in Lisbon before midnight instead of 01:30. And for those debating a move to Portugal: the country is signalling that the sky has a bedtime—and breaking it comes at a multimillion-euro cost.