ANNUAL REPORT ‘12
ECONOMIC AND REGULATORY ENVIRONMENT
32
The adoption of new services and support systems for
the development of routes, the awarding of incentives
to airlines, the establishment of partnerships with third
parties and the recourse to increasingly sophisticated
marketing and sales techniques are some of the recur-
ring practices being implemented.
This pressure on costs, however, has also led airport
managers to seek alternatives that enable them to
generate new sources of income or maximise existing
ones, the most common solution being the investment
on commercial areas. The airport operators stopped
focusing only on the airlines as customers and expand-
ed the scope of their attention to meet passenger
needs. These, in turn, are better informed and more
demanding, seeking high quality services, greater
comfort and safety.
This is the basis for the increase in commercial areas
and for the remodelling of the layouts of airport
infrastructures that has been carried out. In order to
increase consumption, there is now an emphasis on
brand names and communication through new
channels. The core of the strategy is the investment in
distinctive services that enhance the airport experience
for passengers.
At the same time, in order to keep up with these new
trends, there has been a growing tendency for airport
privatisation. Various airports have switched to models
involving private operators, due to factors such as
budget restrictions inherent in the public sector, the
need to expand infrastructures to accompany increased
demand, and the introduction of processes that are
more innovative and better suited to the new market
trends.
6.2_REGULATORY FRAMEWORK
The business activities of the ANA Group are regulated
by the general laws applicable to Portuguese corpor-
ations, by its articles of association and by a broad set
of international agreements and conventions, as well as
by national and community legislation.
The Decree-Law no. 404/98, of December 18, is
one of the pillars of the activity of ANA, S.A. endowing
it with the management, operation and develop-
ment of airports of Lisbon, Porto, Faro, Ponta Delgada,
Santa Maria, Horta and Flores. Subsequently, the Joint
Order issued by the Ministries of Finance and Public
Administration, the Ministry of Defence, the Ministry
of Internal Affairs and the Ministry of Public Works,
Transport and Communications, dated 1 June 2009,
also decreed that the infrastructures making up the
civilian terminal at Beja airport should be included in
the concession, along with the powers ANA, S.A. would
require to develop this terminal.
In 2012, the applicable regulatory and legal framework
was significantly altered by Decree-Law no. 254/2012
of 28 November, which approved the rules applicable
to the airport sector, consolidating the legislation
that was scattered throughout various documents, all
the while maintaining the structure of occupation and
operation of the public domain previously set forth in
the law.
The aforesaid Decree-Law regulates:
• the licensing regime for the private use of airport
assets in the public domain and the performance of
activities and services in airports and national public
aerodromes, as well as the fees related to these
activities;
• a set of fees applied to all airports and aerodromes
located in Portuguese territory, specifically the
Security Fee due on the number of passengers
boarded;
• the conditions for applying the legal regime related
to the rights of people with disabilities and people
with reduced mobility;
• the rules and common principles applicable to the
fees subject to economic regulation and setting
the indicators of quality in service, to be followed
at airports and aerodromes located in Portuguese
territory.
