Construction companies have made preliminary inquiries about establishing industrial hubs in Portugal’s Tomar municipality following Lufthansa Group’s proposed investment at the nearby Tancos military airfield. The firms are assessing opportunities linked to the aviation project and a planned high-speed rail line, but no projects or investment commitments have been formalised. The interest comes as Tomar and neighbouring Vila Nova da Barquinha prepare a joint offer of more than 100 hectares for business development.
The proposed Tancos project, valued at about €500 million, forms part of Lufthansa’s bid for a minority stake in TAP Air Portugal. Portugal’s government and Lufthansa signed an agreement on 4 November for the acquisition; the transaction remains subject to the required approvals, with completion expected in early 2028.
Plans for Tancos include a pilot-training school and runway works to enable civil use alongside military operations. The government has indicated public funding of about €50 million for the runway and a target timeframe of 2029–2030. The project is expected to create around 200 jobs. It does not establish that Tancos will handle scheduled commercial airline services.
Tomar is reviewing investment-support and tax-benefit rules and planning changes to its municipal land-use plan to make more business areas available. The joint land offer with Vila Nova da Barquinha is still being developed. The companies making inquiries have not been named, and no industrial project, funding or employment figures have been confirmed.