Tracking the Skies Over Lisbon
Anyone living in or visiting central Lisbon quickly notices the relentless noise of airplanes flying overhead. This daily disruption is a direct result of Humberto Delgado Airport being located unusually close to the city center.
Local resident António Boaventura decided to quantify the problem by creating Lisbon Finals. The online platform is completely open to the public, counting the number of planes entering and leaving the international airport while providing real-time data.
In an interview with Euronews, Boaventura said the project stemmed from his passion for aviation and his curiosity about the seemingly increasing air traffic.
“The number of planes passing over Lisbon is growing, but I’ve gotten used to it. I think all Lisbon residents have,” Boaventura said. Still, he realized there was an opportunity to measure the phenomenon much more accurately.
Tekever supplies drones to the Portuguese Air Force for surveillance.
Building an AI-Powered Rooftop Station
Boaventura built a monitoring station on his terrace powered by artificial intelligence. The system does more than just count flights; it logs the speed, altitude, noise decibels, and even the vibrations planes cause to building walls.
The project required an initial investment of roughly €1,000 (about $1,100) and took a month and a half to construct. Boaventura noted that the programming phase was the most time-consuming part.
What started as a hobby is now an open-source movement. Boaventura hopes to encourage other citizens, associations, and aviation enthusiasts to build their own stations and share their measurements.
“The goal is this: information that is available to everyone,” he explained. “To know what is passing through the sky, over my terrace, and over Lisbon.”
Portugal’s Surging Aviation Traffic
The heavy traffic Boaventura monitors is backed up by national data. According to the National Statistics Institute (INE), Portuguese airports handled 7.1 million passengers in June.
While this represented a minor 0.2% drop from June of the previous year, it followed five consecutive months of all-time historic highs. An average of 118,700 passengers disembarked daily during the month.
Over the first half of the year, national airports processed 35.34 million passengers, a 2.5% increase compared to the same period last year. Lisbon’s airport handled the brunt of this volume, accommodating 49.4% of total traffic with 17.4 million passengers.
International Dominance and Cargo Stability
The United Kingdom remains the primary market for Portugal’s flights, seeing a 4.3% increase in originating passengers and a 4.7% rise in departing passengers. France, Spain, Germany, and Italy rounded out the top five destinations and origins.
Cargo and mail logistics also saw slight growth. National airports handled 21,800 tons of cargo in June, a 3.4% year-over-year increase, bringing the first-half growth rate to 0.4%.
Despite the high volume of people and freight, the total number of commercial flight landings in June fell slightly by 1%, totaling 24,200 flights. International traffic continues to dominate the hubs, accounting for nearly 83% of all arriving and departing passengers.