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  1. Environment
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  • Portugal
  • Overview
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  • Environment
    • PRB monitoring
    • En route performance
      • Horizontal flight efficiency
    • Terminal performance
      • AXOT & ASMA
      • CDO
    • CIV-MIL

  • Capacity
    • PRB monitoring
    • En route performance
      • En route ATFM delay
      • Other indicators
    • Terminal performance
      • Arrival ATFM delay
      • Other performance indicators

  • Cost-efficiency
    • PRB monitoring
    • En route CZ
      • Unit cost
      • AUCU
      • Regulatory Result
    • Terminal CZ
      • Unit cost
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      • Regulatory Result

Environment - Portugal

Download Report

PRB monitoring

▪ Portugal achieved a KEA performance of 1.61% compared to its target of 1.80% and contributed positively towards achieving the Union-wide target.

▪ Both KEP and SCR deteriorated compared to 2023 levels and had similar values, meaning airlines planned the most efficient routes available.

▪ The share of CDO flights decreased from 53.10% to 46.22% in 2024.

▪ Additional taxi out time increased from 2.70 to 3.06 min/flight, while additional time in terminal airspace increased from 1.51 to 2.17 min/flight in 2024 compared to 2023.

En route performance

Horizontal flight efficiency of the actual trajectory (KEA) (KPI#1), of the last filed flight plan (KEP) (PI#1) & shortest constrained route (SCR) (PI#2)

Terminal performance

Additional taxi-out time (AXOT) (PI#3) & Arrival Sequencing and Metering Area (ASMA) time (PI#4)

Focus on ASMA & AXOT

AXOT

Additional taxi-out times at Lisbon (LPPT; 2019: 3.96 min/dep.; 2020: 2.68 min/dep.; 2021: 1.93 min/dep.; 2022: 3.18 min/dep.; 2023: 3.82 min/dep.; 2024: 4.32 min/dep.) increased again in 2024 resulting in the second highest additional taxi-out times in the SES area and well above the SES average of 2.91 min/dep.

According to the Portuguese monitoring report: Regular performance and capacity reports by the ANSP are presented to the NSA in which the ENV KPI is specifically addressed.

Furthermore, the Portuguese NSA promotes meetings with all stakeholders of the sector, before the start of the summer, and along the summer, in order to try smooth the operations in the main Portuguese airports.

ASMA

Additional times in the terminal airspace at Lisbon (LPPT; 2019: 2.75 min/arr.; 2020: 1.51 min/arr.; 2021: 1.15 min/arr.; 2022: 1.84 min/arr.; 2023: 2,12 min/arr.; 2024: 3.17 min/arr.) experimented a drastic increase in 2024, resulting in the highest value observed amongst the SES monitored airports, well above the SES average of 1.28 min/arr and the pre-COVID value for Lisbon. This increase has been particularly noted since the implementation of Point Merge in the Lisbon approach in May 2024, which coincided with reduced arrival ATFM delays.

A decrease in the duration of ATFM regulations for arrivals, coupled with higher acceptance rates within these regulations, contributed to an increased arrival flow. This, in turn, was managed within the ASMA area, leading to longer additional ASMA times.

According to the Portuguese monitoring report: Regular performance and capacity reports by the ANSP are presented to the NSA in which the ENV KPI is specifically addressed. Furthermore, the Portuguese NSA promotes meetings with all stakeholders of the sector, before the start of the summer, and along the summer, in order to try smooth the operations in the main Portuguese airports.

Share of arrivals applying continuous descent operations (CDOs) (PI#5)

Focus CDOs

All airports except Cascais and Flores have shares of CDO flights (well) above the overall RP3 value in 2024 (29.3%), ranging from 0.0% (Flores - LPFL) to 90.3% (Horta - LPHR). It should however be noted that Horta had only 206 arriving flights and Flores only 1 arriving flight in 2024. An important decrease is observed at Lisbon which can be linked to the implementation of Point Merge.

According to the Portuguese monitoring report: Regular performance and capacity reports by the ANSP are presented to the NSA in which the ENV KPI is specifically addressed.

Airport level
Airport
Additional taxi-out time (PI#3)
Additional ASMA time (PI#4)
Share of arrivals applying CDO (PI#5)
2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
Faro 0.27 0.65 0.65 0.83 0.88 0.33 0.19 0.21 0.30 0.29 62% 58% 57% 61% 61%
Lisbon 2.68 1.93 3.18 3.82 4.32 1.51 1.15 1.84 2.12 3.17 55% 51% 49% 52% 36%
Porto 1.45 1.67 1.61 1.60 1.86 0.61 0.57 0.89 0.93 1.17 46% 43% 41% 45% 46%
Cascais NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA 42% 34% 27% 28% 28%
Madeira NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA 46% 48% 52% 55% 53%
Montijo NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA 30% 32% 23% 17% 30%
Porto Santo NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA 68% 65% 52% 48% 41%
Santa Maria NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA 75% 77% 82% 85%
Flores NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA 100% 100% NA NA
Horta NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA 99% 98% 96% 90%
Ponta Delgada NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA 67% 67% 70% 72%

Civil-Military dimension

Focus on Civil-Military dimension

Update on Military dimension of the plan

Airspace design is established in accordance with the FUA principles for strategic, pre-tactical and tactical levels. The military training missions are conducted primarily within the restricted airspace associated with military aerodromes or, when necessary, at the temporary segregated airspace established at strategic level. This type of airspace usage results in direct and short transit routes to and from the established training areas. The average transit route extension between the military aerodromes and the training areas in Portugal is around 20NM. Additionally, the average duration of the training missions, (not including the transit times) is one (1) hour, except during major exercises.A close and active daily coordination between the military and the civil ANSP is, since long, the trademark of the Portuguese ASM. Also, the FUA coordination is supported by the Local and regional Airspace Management Tool (LARA), which enables the required level of civil military interoperability for the ASM process. As a general assessment, the environmental impact of the military during the RP3 period is expected to be low, since the military training activity was reduced due to the pandemic, and the current airspace structure promotes the optimization of transit times between air bases and training areas, thus reducing the associated carbon footprint.

Military - related measures implemented or planned to improve capacity

Initiatives implemented or planned to improve PI#6

Implementation of the A_FUA functionallity as per regulation 2021/116 will improve the use of airspace by both the civil and the military. Also with the implementation of the LARA tool more accurate statistic reports will be available to evaluate the FUA performance.

Initiatives implemented or planned to improve PI#7

LARA interface is already in place, however, associated statistic tools are still in the final stages of implementation. Furthermore, LARA full implementation is also pending on the signature of the formal agreement between the national AMC and the NM.

Initiatives implemented or planned to improve PI#8

LARA interface is already in place, however, associated statistic tools are still in the final stages of implementation. Furthermore, LARA full implementation is also pending on the signature of the formal agreement between the national AMC and the NM.

 
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