Located in the south of Portugal, just above the Algarve region the new Beja International Airport is preparing for an international debut in 2010. With a 3,5 km long runway, large enough for big airplanes like the Boeing 747 and Airbus A340, Beja Airport unlocks the rural Alentejo region. Beja, the nearby rural town, located on the Golden Plain, looks at a more than promising future.
Opening of Beja International Airport
Beja International Airport is expected to be opened in September 2010 and charter flights are planned from March 2011. Read about Beja Airport news and Beja Airport history.
Beja Airport is situated in the center of the Alentejo province above the Algarve region in Portugal. The Alentejo region is known for it’s tasty red wines, fortified historic towns and original Portuguese rural character. The area is a great get-a-way for everyone looking for a quiet place to stay. Already budget carriers are rumored to be in negotiation with airport authorities for a landing slot at Beja International Airport.
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| Beja Airbase N11 - The new civil airport is at the south end of the runway |
Read about Beja Airport news here.
Beja International Airport has a 3,5 Km runway allowing airplanes like the Airbus A340 or the Boeing 747 to land. It’s expected the airport will outgrow the southern Faro airport which has a much shorter runway.
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| Beja International Airport terminal in spring 2010 - still closed to the public - nearly ready. |
This makes Beja International Airport a good candidate as the 3rd largest in Portugal, next to Porto and Lisabon. At this moment in time Beja Airport is still a prime military airport with international history.
Beja – Historic town in the Golden Plain
Beja is the principal town in the southern Alentejo region, known as Baixo Alentejo. In Roman Times Beja was known as Pax Julia. Under Moorish rule Beja became a taifa, an independent Muslim-ruled principality. From 1162 Beja was under Christian rule and a castle was build on roman ruins in the 13th century by King Dom Dinis, the sixth king of Portugal
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| Beja Castle overlooks the area known as Planície Dourada or golden plain. |
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In summertime Beja is surrounded by an endless sea of wheat fields, the Golden Plain or Planície Dourada. The town is welcoming and untouristed and a genuine Portuguese experience. The tourist office in the court yard of the town castle with it’s 42m high 13th century Torre de Menagam has multi-lingual flyers of the town and the region.
Where to stay in Beja in the Alentejo province
Surprisingly, Beja has a wealth of places to stay with undoubtedly the the 13th century Pousada de Sao Fransico Hotel as the historic gem. Next to this top-end Hotel with very reasonable prices, Beja has medium and budget hotels and pensions also. Here’s an impression of where to stay in Beja.
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Hotels in Beja - Alentejo - Portugal Pousada de Sao Fransico |
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| Hotels in Beja with website in the Alentejo province - Portugal |
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Also the budget campsite in Beja (click Parque de Campismo on the left) is a perfect location for visiting Beja – it’s located near the supermarket chain Continente, the public library for free internet access, Bike Lab Beja a great mountain bike shop featuring Specialized opposite the Continente supermarket and the bustling Saturday market near the Beja bus station. (north-east from the campsite). Do check out the chocolate shop * Mestre Cacau - Chocolate Artesanal * in Beja - great stuff.
More about Beja in the Beja Visitor Directory.
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Hotels in the Area of Beja - Alentejo Clube de Campo Vlia Gale |
| Hotels around Beja with website in the Alentejo province - Portugal |
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History of the Beja International Airport
Beja in Alentejo has a recent international relation with Germany. The town municipality hosted the German Military airport from 1964 upto the early 1990’s, known as Beja Air Base, Base Aérea Nº 11, BA11. In the cold war era the Beja air base was out of soviet block missile reach, making it a strategic location. For the Portuguese Air Force it was an opportunity to establish a southern military Air Base.
For the German Airforce, Beja Airbase was primarily used for training purposes. In present time the military airport is the prime training center for the Portuguese Air Force. For the future Beja International Airport will serve as civilian as well as a military airport, as it’s also the case in Lisabon.
More about Beja Airport History from 1960 and onwards.
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