History
The airport opened on 15 October 1942 during the Second World War, although Portugal was neutral the airport was used by allied flights en route to Gibraltar, North Africa and Cairo. At the end of the war the airport developed quickly and by 1946 was used by major airlines like Air France, British European Airways, Iberia, KLM, Sabena, Pan Am and Trans World Airlines and by 1954 the number of passengers had reached 100,000.
A 1951-52 airport diagram shows four runways at 45-deg angles: 1350-m runway 5, 1024-m rwy 9, 1203-m rwy 14, and 1170-m rwy 18. Runways 5 and 36 were each being extended northward to become 1999 m.
A major upgrade in 1959-62 included a new runway capable of taking the first generation jets, Boeing 707 and Douglas DC-8. The first jet aircraft movement was an Air France Caravelle in 1960. In 1962 runway 03/21 came into use, it was 3,130 m (10,270 ft) and would allow direct transatlantic flights. The first direct flight to New York was operated by a TWA Boeing 707 who also operated the first Boeing 747 service in 1970. When TAP ordered the 747, five large parking bays were built in 1972 and the terminal was enlarged. A major upgrade to the buildings and facilities was started in 1983 and the first air bridges were added in 1991.
Read more about this topic: Lisbon Portela Airport
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