Covilhã, PT 🇵🇹 Closed Airport
PT-0157
-
1572 ft
PT-05
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Loading...GPS Code: Not available
Local Code: Not available
Location: 40.264801° N, -7.47996° E
Continent: EU
Type: Closed Airport
Keywords: COV LPCV
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| Designation | Length | Width | Surface | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
06/24 |
3150 ft | 75 ft | ASP | Active Lighted |
| Type | Description | Frequency |
|---|---|---|
| AFIS | AFIS | 122.0 MHz |
Mid-2000s (approximately 2005-2008). Analysis of historical satellite imagery shows the runway was intact in 2005 but was bisected by a new road and encroached upon by industrial construction by 2009. The closure was a gradual process as the land was repurposed.
Economic and urban development. The airfield was closed to allow for the expansion of the adjacent industrial park, the 'Zona Industrial do Tortosendo'. The municipal government prioritized industrial growth, leading to the expropriation and redevelopment of the airfield's land.
The site has been completely absorbed by the 'Zona Industrial do Tortosendo'. The former runway is no longer visible and has been built over with industrial warehouses and bisected by new roads, such as 'Rua da Indústria'. The original hangar building appears to have been heavily modified or replaced and is now used by a commercial enterprise within the industrial park. There is no remaining aviation infrastructure on the site.
The airfield served as a local center for general aviation, primarily for recreational and training purposes. It was the home of the 'Aero Clube da Covilhã' (Aero Club of Covilhã) and supported operations for light aircraft and ultralights. It provided the only aviation infrastructure of its kind for the city and the surrounding Cova da Beira region, facilitating pilot training and private flights. Its national ICAO code, PT-0157, designated it as a registered aerodrome/ultralight landing strip within Portugal, but it never handled commercial IATA traffic.
There are zero prospects for reopening the original airfield, as the land has been irreversibly redeveloped. However, there are active and ongoing discussions among the local municipalities (Covilhã, Fundão, and Belmonte) and the Intermunicipal Community of Beiras and Serra da Estrela (CIMBSE) to build a new regional aerodrome at a different location. This new project aims to restore aviation access to the region but is a separate initiative from the closed PT-0157 airfield.
One of the most important aerodromes of the country, and the oldest one in Portugal still in operation at the date of its closure; closed to give way for the construction of a Datacenter.
The aerodrome was of particular interest due to the exceptional conditions of its geographical location for the flying and practice flying of gliders. This characteristic, combined with the good infrastructures that the airfield possessed, were some of the reasons for the creation of the 'University of Beira Interior' in Covilhã, known for being the only place where you can currently study Aeronautical Engineering in the country.
The airport was closed on September 2011