Localization of new civil aviation airport infrastructures. Case study: New Lisbon Airport (NAL)

Purpose: This research article addresses one of the most delicate topics in Portuguese civil aviation over the last 50 years, that is, the location of a new civil airport in the Lisbon region.Design/methodology/approach: This research paper aims to present an efficient methodology to be applied when choosing the location of new civil aviation infrastructure, based on the determination and aggregation of critical decision factors. Critical decision factors cover several areas, technical and scientific, making the methodology more robust and sustainable. The validation of the work is carried out, naturally, when applied to the case of the location of the new Lisbon airport, in Portugal.Findings: The results of the investigation demonstrated that the critical decision factors to be applied in the methodology for choosing the best location of Lisbon airport, Portugal, after all have an application in any latitude and longitude that are considered, and in any type of airport infrastructure.Originality/value: The originality of this work is its contribution to clarifying a problem that has existed in Portugal for more than 50 years, that is, what is the best location for a new airport in the Lisbon region. The critical decision factors and the subsequent methodology to aggregate them are an important contribution to finding the most suitable and sustainable option, technically and economically.