LISBON, Portugal_Portugal's government is considering an alternative location for Lisbon's planned new international airport, a senior official said Monday, amid continuing controversy over the initial choice that has delayed the project.
Public Works Minister Mario Lino told a parliamentary committee that a panel of experts would examine the possibility of building the airport, expected to cost around €3.6 billion (US$4.8 billion), at Alcochete, 15 kilometers (9 miles) south of the capital.
After years of postponements, the government said in 2005 the airport would be built at Ota, a town about 50 kilometers (30 miles) north of Lisbon.
The Confederation of Portuguese Industry, a private sector lobby group, last week published a report by experts which concluded Alcochete would be the best site.
Lino backtracked on his previous insistence on Ota, saying the panel would examine the viability of Alcochete.
"We are already behind schedule. The new airport should be ready by now, or at least be under construction," Lino said.
Projects for a new airport have been discussed by successive governments for about 10 years, but rows over its location have held up the plan.
Lisbon's current airport, which is on the edge of the city, is forecast to reach its limit of 16 million passengers a year in 2015.
The new airport is scheduled to be ready by 2017.
