Night flights at Lisbon Airport: Weekly limit exceeded in 33 out of 35 weeks

Environmental organization ZERO has launched a new platform that monitors night flights at Humberto Delgado Airport. According to the organization's 2026 data, the weekly movement limit of 91 between midnight and 06:00 was exceeded in 33 of the 35 weeks examined. However, due to exceptions in the legislation, exceeding the limit does not mean that every flight is a violation of the law on its own.

Portuguese environmental organization ZERO has launched a new online platform for the public to follow the flights taking place at night at Humberto Delgado Airport in Lisbon.

Using Flightradar24 data, the platform shows daily aircraft movements arriving and departing from Lisbon at night. Thus, it can be tracked when the numerical limits determined in the current legislation are exceeded.

According to the data published by ZERO on September 4, in the first 35 weeks of 2026 examined, the limit of 91 weekly flight movements between 00.00-06.00 was complied with for only two weeks. This number was exceeded in the other 33 weeks.

According to the organization's data, a total of 4,647 aircraft movements have occurred between 00:00 and 06:00 since the beginning of the year. 1,165 of them were between 01.00-05.00.

The busiest week was recorded as 17-23 August. ZERO announced that 187 aircraft movements were detected between midnight and 06:00 in this period, which was 96 above the weekly movement limit of 91.

When looking at daily data, there is a significant excess on some nights. According to ZERO, there were 48 movements on March 30, 46 on May 10, and 43 movements each on March 29 and August 24.

What are the current rules for night flights?

The legal framework for night operations at Lisbon Airport is based on Portaria n.º 303-A/2004 of 2004.

According to the regulation, night traffic is restricted at Humberto Delgado Airport between 00.00 and 06.00. During this period, the number of weekly aircraft movements cannot exceed 91 and the daily number of movements cannot exceed 26. There are also additional requirements regarding the noise levels of aircraft used in night operations.

However, the legislation allows exceptions in certain cases. Therefore, just because the numerical limit is exceeded on any night or week does not mean that every flight over the limit is automatically against the legislation.

ZERO also draws attention to this point and asks the National Civil Aviation Authority, ANAC, to disclose to the public which of the detected flights fall within legal exceptions and which constitute a real violation.

The completely flight-free period between 01.00-05.00 is not yet implemented

Apart from the current 00.00-06.00 restriction, the Portuguese government initiated a process to change the night flight regime for Humberto Delgado Airport in March 2025.

In the decision of the Council of Ministers dated March 18, 2025, it was envisaged to implement a "hard curfew" model to ban flights between 01.00 and 05.00 at night. The decision also stipulates that the new night flight regime will be prepared through the "Balanced Approach" procedure within the framework of European Union rules.

ZERO points out that 536 days after the government's decision in this direction, the flight ban between 01.00-05.00 has still not come into force.

According to the organization's data, there have been 1,165 aircraft movements in this four-hour period since the beginning of 2026 alone.

Airplane noise is also on the agenda in terms of health

The debate about night flights is not limited to the number of planes.

The World Health Organization's environmental noise guide for Europe recommends that exposure to aircraft noise at night be kept below 40 dB Lnight. WHO associates nighttime aircraft noise above this level with adverse effects on sleep.

ZERO, on the other hand, wants to reduce night flights in Lisbon, as well as strengthen sound insulation measures in buildings affected by noise.

The organization also advocates accelerating the construction of the new Lisbon airport and closing Humberto Delgado Airport in the long term.

6. PRACTICAL KNOWLEDGE

Those who want to follow night flights in Lisbon can examine daily aircraft movements on ZERO's new platform.

The platform can be used to monitor whether flight movements exceed numerical limits. However, it should not be forgotten that an exceedance on the platform does not alone constitute a legal violation; Current legislation contains exceptions for some flights.

7. SOURCES REVIEWED

ZERO – Associação Sistema Terrestre Sustentável, 4 September 2026: Announcement of the night flight platform and data on flight movements for 2026.

Diário da República – Portaria n.º 303-A/2004: Legal limits of night operations between 00.00 and 06.00 at Humberto Delgado Airport.

Diário da República – Resolução do Conselho de Ministros n.º 58/2025: Government decision to change the night flight regime and implement “hard curfew” between 01.00-05.00.

ANAC – Ruído / Aeroporto Humberto Delgado: Night flight and noise restrictions valid for Lisbon Airport.

World Health Organization (WHO) – Environmental Noise Guidelines for the European Region: Health-based recommendations on aircraft noise at night.