Tras-os-Montes was connected to Lisbon by a regional airline a couple of years ago which helped people get around and saved time for those far northerners visiting the capital for business or pleasure.
The route was scrapped as it could not be made to pay, but there is a new plan to link the north of Portugal to the south of the country, with stops in between - and government money to subside the service.
The proposal has come from the National Institute of Civil Aviation which proposes a single airline sets up the route with its blessing, starting in Bragança in the north east of the country, making stops in Vila Real, Viseu, Tires (Lisbon) and finally landing in Portimão.
The government has accepted the suggestion and according to the Secretary of State for Transport Sérgio Monteiro the plan has sense "in the name of territorial cohesion between the north and the south of the country."
The idea has been thought through and involves the creation of two daily services, one at midday and one at the end of the day, on week days to appeal to business travellers, and importantly, linking to onwards bus and train services where these exist.
The key is in attracting passengers for this type of short hop service so it can run at a profit. The minister has not discounted the idea of the government lending financial support.
The sum of €2.5 million per year has been mentioned as this is what the last service lost but no doubt there will be an EU grant available.
