Various jetPrivate flights bound for Lisbon are being diverted to Badajozin Spain, due to the lack of capacity at the Portuguese capital’s airport during the Web Summit. The information, revealed by Financial Timesin news with great prominence in this Saturday’s printed editionwas confirmed by the event organization itself, which admits to having received complaints from delegates forced to land far from Lisbon.
Two days ago, the Web Summit had already warned of a “shortage of slots [espaços horários para aterrar ou descolar] for private jets” at Humberto Delgado Airport and at airfields in the region, during the event days — between November 10th and 13th.
In this communication, the organization stated that the airport “is having difficulties managing the volume of traffic”which was resulting in the impossibility of authorizing new landings and take-offs for private aircraft. “Nearby airports are also running out of availability, which is why some guests, especially those traveling on larger planes, are finding that the only slots viable routes are now more than two hours away by car from Lisbon, including at airports in Spanish territory”, the note reads.
O Financial Times emphasizes that this is the first time the event faces an “air traffic jam” of this type, reflecting the growing number of participants who choose to travel on private planes. “It’s the new Lamborghini”, commented an entrepreneur from the technology sector cited by the newspaper, about the trend among startup founders.
The situation is worsened by the arrival of official delegations from more than 70 countriesmany of them on government planes, and the promotion of charter flights by private aviation companies such as ClassJetwhich announced “personalized trips” to Lisbon.
The limitations now exposed once again highlight the constraints of Lisbon airportwhich has been operating close to maximum capacity for years and is awaiting the construction of new infrastructure, scheduled only for 2034.
On social media, the controversy gained strength again. Matthew PrinceCEO of technology Cloudflarewho has an office in Lisbon and is one of the speakers at the Web Summit, described the airport as a “shitshow” on the social network X (formerly Twitter). The businessman also criticized the fact that there are “two abandoned military bases with more runways than Lisbon, where they don’t even allow private planes to land”.
A Web Summit takes place between November 10th and 13that MEO Arena and FIL, at Parque das Nações, bringing together more than 70 thousand participants, 2.500 startups e 1,000 investors.