Airport ground handling assistance licenses extended up to two years

The Government has extended, on an exceptional and transitional basis, the ground handling licenses granted at the airports of Lisbon, Porto, and Faro for a total period not exceeding two years, starting from October 26, 2026. The measure is contained in Decree-Law No. 197/2026, of October 1, published in the Diário da República, 1st series, no. 191, which introduces the second amendment to Decree-Law No. 100/2023, of October 31. The extension is determined by a reasoned order from the member of the Government responsible for the area of infrastructure.

An exceptional regime to ensure operation

Decree-Law No. 275/99, of July 23, transposed Council Directive 96/67/EC, of October 15, 1996, into the domestic legal order and establishes the legal regime for access to and exercise of ground handling activities for air transport, providing for the limitation of the number of providers in airports with security, protection, capacity, or available space constraints.

Decree-Law No. 100/2023, of October 31, exceptionally extended the licenses for categories 3, 4, and 5 granted at the airports of Lisbon, Porto, and Faro to the provider selected under Article 27 of Decree-Law No. 275/99, to ensure the continuity, stability, and predictability of the operation until the conclusion of the tender process. Licenses valid on the date of entry into force were extended until November 19, 2025, or until the granting of new licenses, whichever occurred first, with the possibility of a further extension of up to one year.

Under this authorization, Order No. 13578/2025, of November 12, and Order No. 5761/2026, of May 5, extended the validity of the licenses in force until October 25, 2026.

Tender litigation and transition between providers

The tender procedure for the granting of new licenses has been subject to litigation, while the need to ensure the continuity of airport operations remains, especially during periods of high operational pressure.

The Government justifies the new regulatory solution based on the complexity of an eventual transition between providers in airports of the size of Lisbon, Porto, and Faro, which would require an adequate period of preparation, mobilization of human, technical, and material resources, coordination with air carriers, the airport management entity, other competent authorities, and other operational stakeholders, as well as the safeguarding of the positions of workers assigned to the activity.

Conditions, limits, and termination of licenses

• The licenses covered are those granted under Order no. 14886-A/2013, published in the Diário da República, 2nd series, no. 222, of November 15, 2013, at the Francisco Sá Carneiro (Porto), Gago Coutinho (Faro), and Humberto Delgado (Lisbon) airports.
• The extension occurs in the event of the non-completion of the procedure for granting new licenses, the suspension of their respective effectiveness, or the non-completion of the operational transition in terms that guarantee continuity and safety.
• Each extension is determined according to proportionality criteria and cannot exceed the time strictly necessary for the cessation of the fact that justified it.
• The licenses cease when the new licenses take effect and the continuity and safety of the operation are ensured, by declaration of the member of the Government, after consulting the National Civil Aviation Authority and the concessionaire company.
• No fees are due for the extension.

Processing and entry into force

The decree was approved in the Council of Ministers on September 17, 2026, with the votes of Luís Montenegro and Miguel Martinez de Castro Pinto Luz, promulgated on September 25, 2026, by the President of the Republic, António José Martins Seguro, and countersigned on September 29, 2026, by the Prime Minister, Luís Montenegro.

Decree-Law no. 197/2026 enters into force on the day following its publication and takes effect on October 25, 2026, precisely when the deadline set by previous orders expired.

The extension avoids an interruption of ground handling services at the three largest national airports, keeping the current providers in function and protecting jobs in the sector until the tender for the new licenses is completed and the operational transition is ensured.

Source: Diário da República, 1st series, no. 191, of October 1, 2026, section I, page 1 (official reference: Decree-Law no. 197/2026).