The PMS is a sequencing system for approaching airports, in which, in the event of traffic accumulation, the planes waiting for their turn to land are aligned in two arcs and sent into a landing sequence from these arcs, at a constant speed.
In the model used until now, the planes have to wait in a circle around the same point and, when they are authorized to land, they undergo a descent procedure through landings, demanding from the point of view of communication between traffic control airline and pilots.
Replacing circular waits with linear waits at higher altitudes allows for more efficient, organized and safe management of air traffic, contributing to greater fuel savings, a reduction in pollutant emissions and the impact of noise on populations.
Additionally, with the provision of military airspace in Sintra, which even included the transfer of the flying school to Beja, it is now possible to take off to the West (Azores, or USA), previously impossible, allowing airlines to save travel time and fuel.
According to the 2019 RCM, the Air Force was authorized to incur expenditure on the acquisition of goods and services associated with the necessary transfers up to a maximum amount of 18.8 million euros, plus VAT.
Although they hope that the new system will contribute to reducing delays at Lisbon airport, NAV officials highlighted that this does not only depend on airspace, but above all on infrastructure, highlighting that, in 2023, the contribution of air traffic control to Flight delays were 10%.
The PMS was only tested for Lisbon and was being worked on at a time when a dual airport solution was envisaged with Portela + Montijo, to gradually increase the capacity of the Lisbon airport system from 44 to 72 movements per hour (46 in Lisbon, two in Cascais and 24 in Montijo).
The Montijo location was, however, considered unfeasible by the Independent Technical Commission (CTI) responsible for the strategic environmental assessment of the new airport, which recommended a single solution in Alcochete or Vendas Novas, but pointed out that Humberto Delgado + Santarém “could be a provisional” solution .
Even before becoming prime minister, the social democratic leader, Luís Montenegro, had guaranteed that the decision on the new airport would be taken “in the first days” of his government.
