Humberto Delgado Airport:

name change marked with ceremony and exhibition 

 

Next Sunday, 15 May, there will be a ceremony to mark the attribution of a new official designation for Lisbon Airport, which will be known as Humberto Delgado Airport.

This change, arising from the decision of the Council of Ministers of 11 February 2016, is aimed at honouring a man who was a noteworthy figure both in 20th-century Portuguese political history and in Portuguese civil aviation. The decision serves to acknowledge General Humberto Delgado's unique contribution not only to the fight for freedom and democracy during Estado Novo, but also to the development of modern commercial aviation in Portugal.

The ceremony, which will be attended by their Excellencies the President and Prime Minister of Portugal, in addition to the Mayor of Lisbon, will begin with the unveiling of the new official name of the airport on the outer façade of the Airport, next to the cylinder, followed by the unveiling, inside the terminal, of the plaque commemorating the ceremony.

After these solemn moments, the committee will visit the exhibition Humberto Delgado e a Liberdade dos Céus (Humberto Delgado and the Freedom of the Skies), then the President of VINCI Airports, Nicolas Notebaert, will welcome those present and mark the official opening of the exhibition with the showing of a short film, on the personality of General Humberto Delgado.

Before the closure of the event, there will be yet another ceremony for a commemorative postcard by the CTT Post Office on the new designation of the airport.

The Humberto Delgado and the Freedom of the Skies exhibit will remain in the cylinder area for two weeks, and may be visited for free, since it is in a public area.

The central element of this exhibition will consist of a hexagonal structure located in the central area of the cylinder. On the outer walls of this structure will be displayed five 47” multimedia panels, on which will be shown the collection of photos/videos regarding General Humberto Delgado included in the archive of the ANA – Aeroportos de Portugal, enabling visitors to select the language and the contents to consult.

Inside the structure will be an "emerging" atmosphere with projections on three walls and on the ceiling, through which visitors will have access to a set of coherent and duly synchronised contents.  

In addition, a small structure will house a hologram of about 50 centimetres representing the desk and chair used by General Humberto Delgado.

On the right side of the escalators that access the check-in area, a video wall will be installed consisting of nine screens, on which will be shown contents regarding the exhibition.