"I am satisfied because, although it is not in the Alcochete territory, but taking into account the proximity of the town of Alcochete to the epicenter of all decisions, I believe that the collateral damage of this investment is positive for my land and for my people", he said, in statements to the Lusa agency.

The Prime Minister, Luís Montenegro, announced today that the Government has approved the construction of the new airport for the Lisbon region at the Alcochete Shooting Range, with the name Aeroporto Luís de Camões, with a view to completely replacing Humberto Delgado Airport.

The Air Force Shooting Range, also known as the Alcochete Shooting Range (due to the proximity of this urban center), is mostly located in the parish of Samora Correia, in the municipality of Benavente (district of Santarém), and also has a small part in the parish of Canha, in the municipality of Montijo (district of Setúbal).

The executive also decided today to mandate Infraestruturas de Portugal to conclude the studies for the construction of the Third Tagus Crossing and the Lisbon-Madrid high-speed rail link.

Fernando Pinto highlighted as positive for the area the need that a new airport will entail for improving accessibility, either through a new crossing over the Tagus with a railway or by extending the surface metro.

Another positive aspect, indicated the mayor, is the creation of direct and indirect employment.

However, the mayor warned that there are assumptions that he has always defended as non-negotiable: compliance with the environmental charter and the issue of safety of people and property.

"I believe that the safety of people and property is guaranteed and, as for environmental issues, the Environmental Impact Study that existed did not eliminate the shooting range as a solution", he said.

The mayor stressed that his municipality, in the district of Setúbal, occupies a strategic position even from a logistical point of view, being well positioned in relation to the territories to the north and south.

"I am pleased and satisfied that after 50 years of advances and setbacks we are in a position to make a decision on this fundamental investment for the country, particularly for the region where we are located", he said.

The Independent Technical Commission (CTI) appointed to evaluate the options for the new infrastructure published on March 11 the final report of the Strategic Environmental Assessment of the new airport, maintaining the recommendation of a single solution in Alcochete or Vendas Novas, but pointed out that Humberto Delgado + Santarém could "be a solution" transitory.

The PSD decided in the meantime to set up an internal working group to analyze the location of the new Lisbon airport, after having agreed with the PS to set up a CTI to carry out the strategic environmental assessment.

The president of the PSD, Luís Montenegro, guaranteed, before being elected prime minister, that the decision would be made "in the first days" of the Government.

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