Monday 25 January 2010

New airport serving the Silver Coast for low cost flights?


http://www.topcasas.co.uk/ - 26th of January 2010
taken from the local newspaper "Gazeta das Caldas"

The Presidents of Tourism regions Western, Central and Leiria / Fátima will petition the government for a joint proposal to build an airport in the area of Leiria, designed especially for the tourist market and that would serve mainly low-cost airlines and charters.
This project is justified by the removal of the Lisbon airport to Alcochete, leaving the center and west of the most remote areas of travel, just when they are increasingly important to feed the tourist areas. Antonio Carneiro, president of Tourism of the West & Silver Coast, gives the example of Valladolid airport, which is a very simple structure of just a flag and an airstrip, which has been very successful because Ryan Air is used as the basis for cheap flights from there to Milan, London and Paris. The main feature of this investment would be to be very cheap, explains this charge, pointing to values between 20 to 50 million. "It has nothing to do with the airport Alcochete which will cost 3 billion, this is another championship, is something that can cost 1% of that investment. And do not detract from the importance because it will not compete with it, since it is designed to a very specific market, "he said. But to obtain more accurate data will soon be awarded a study by a consultant specialized in English. Given the argument that you can not have one airport in each city, Antonio Carneiro remember that Galicia has three airports and in the future, there will be three airports south of the Tagus (Sines, Beja and Faro), one north of the Douro (Porto) and none in the whole central region, which is precisely the region with more population. To proceed with this project there is a complete harmony "between the president of the tourism regions of Western, Central and Leria / Fatima, and the Mayor of Porto, Raul Castro said the same charge, outside the Stock Exchange Lisbon Tourism Fair (BTL) held in Lisbon last week. "If we got a base or a Ryan Air's operations in central Portugal, could boost tourism in the west coast, including the residential tourism," said he, adding that in addition to the business axis Marinha Grande - Leiria and Santuario of Fatima, is also an interesting search for a regional airport. At least, much more than expected in the Cova da Beira, where the idea continue to do in Covilhã city a regional airport. And this is the race that the Center and the West must win, convinced that that infrastructure makes much more sense on the coast. For Antonio Carneiro, the airport could be at the base area of Monte Real, there is nothing preventing this from continuing to have its military function. After all, the airport Lages in the Azores, is also an air base and the huge airport Frankfurt. Another possible location would be near Leiria in the future train station that will serve the TGV line and the West, the effect being evident advantages.


Our coment:
The future airport of Alcochete is meant to be open and operating in 2017. There are still strong discussions whether the airport in Lisbon (Portela) will be closed with the opening of the new one or not.
In any case both airports Portela & Alcochete are set around 100 kms from Obidos, more or less an hour drive from here.
The possibility of a new airport being built in Leiria, would make it to be set in 30 minutes drive from Obidos.
The opening of big Hotels* in the Silver Coast may have a word to say on the decision the Government will take on this issue.

Like ever, we will not sell properties based in the fact that the area will be served by another airport, we think that if this one comes great, if it doesn't then it will not be a problem at all, as 1 hour drive to this lovely area is not much after all!

* Hilton 5* in Bom Sucesso, Marriott 5* in Praia del Rey, Hyatt 5* in Foz do Arelho, 5* Hotel in Golden Eagle, 5* Hotel in Royal Obidos, 5* Westin in Camporeal.


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