Airports in Portugal

Yes the Alentejo region is beautiful. Beja Airport can only be an advantage in the future when the global economy and tourism picks up. We have 15 acres of land approximately 12 kilometres from the airport. There are around 40 mature olive trees and planning consent. We also have drawings to build a large villa with pool. We are moving to New Zealand in a year's time and have decided to sell this land. If anyone is interested the cost is £85,000. There is electricity nearby and a borehole can be installed very easily. For further information please contact me on 07787 133048. I will be in the Beja region at the end of January for viewings.

Oh my goodness, what a load of rubbish left by the last person. The Alentejo is wonderful, beautiful, with lovely friendly people, fabulous cuisine and the BEST wines in Portugal. Far nicer than the north. I have travelled for many years in Portugal, I should know. The airport one day will be fantastic and will allow lucky folk to visit the likes of Evora, Beja and Mertola, with many other beautiful towns and villages, some in sweet hill settings. For goodness sake, the Alentejo has a slow way of life, eventually the airport will be busier but things go at an Alentejo speed!! I truly hope the Alentejo doesn´t get over populated, this gives the area the charm and piecefulness that most folk with hectic lives seek.

I was in Portugal on holiday in June and flew into Lisbon. In discussions with British people living in Portugal they say that there is very little need for an airport in Beja as Lisbon is quite near and Faro is there for the Algarve with many flights at cheap prices. The place where an airport is desperately needed is in the Central part of Portugal, i.e. in the triangle formed by Coimbra, Tomar and Castelo Branco. This part of Portugal is lush and gorgeous but inaccessible to tourists, but there are lots of people who could benefit from a boost to tourism. Beja and the Alentejo is prinicipally agricultural and under populated. Building the airport here was a result of graft and corruption and local contractors in collusion with their "pals" in the Government.

As with Greece, although Euro Union money has in many cases brought good things to Portugal there is a distinct lack of cohesion and clear thinking in how best to promote this lovely country to tourists. Building an airport in a region which does not need it is an example of this. I was told that the public wanted the airport in the Central region but they were ignored. Just another case of jobs for the boys I suppose.

I am thinking of moving to Portugal to open a tourism business and having researched the Alentejo and the Central region I think the latter is better suited to Northern European tourism as it is greener, lusher and prettier. I think it is a great shame there is not an airport in this region. How terribly sad that millions of euros were spent to build an airport with one flight per week! If it were not so sad it would be funny.

Well the months roll by and Beja airport managed and run by ANA airport operators still only offers 1 flight per week to Heathrow, UK. 33 million euro's to build a new terminal, supposedly to help transform the Alentejo economy with more tourist traffic and help inject more investment into the region? Well offering only 1 flight per week is hardly going to transform the economy of Alentejo? Wake up and smell the reality ANA, Beja airport is crawling along at a snails pace. Why does someone not just pick up the phone and call Easyjet and Ryanair, negotiate a contract and get the planes landing and taking off from the almost abandoned runways that are never in use?

QFU: 25/07

RADIO: 122,00 Mhz

Alt: 247ft (75m)

NBD nearby:(not actually a NDB; it's a AM radio station: Radio Renascença.) 576 kHz 2NM NW of the airfield.