Lisbon is set to introduce a ban on night flights

Heavy air traffic goes hand in hand with growing tourism in Lisbon and Portugal in general. Image: Shutterstock

Authorities in Portugal are planning to ban flight departures and arrivals in Lisbon between 1 am and 5 am in response to residents' objections to noise and pollution.

Soon, visitors will no longer be arriving at Lisbon airport at all hours. Portugal's Minister for Infrastructure and Housing, Miguel Pinto Luz, said during a speech to parliament that the Portuguese capital would soon see no flights between the hours of 1 am and 5 am, reports SchengenNews.

This solution seeks to reduce not only noise from air traffic, but also pollution, two grievances widely decried by the people of Lisbon. Although the number of night flights is technically limited, the non-governmental organization Zero claims that this limit is not respected. Each week, Lisbon is supposed to see no more than 92 night flights. In truth, there are around 160, according to calculations by the "Aeroporto fora, Lisboa melhora" (Airport out, Lisbon improves) collective, which has helped to voice the concerns of Lisbon residents. It remains to be seen when this curfew will come into force. 

Heavy air traffic goes hand in hand with growing tourism in Lisbon and Portugal in general. Between January and August this year, the country welcomed 13.1 million visitors, up 6.7% year-on-year. 

Also read: Japan seeks more visitors despite overtourism woes