In a statement, the Loulé City Hall revealed that the expansion of the heliport is "an investment by the municipality that will strengthen the regional response in terms of civil protection and relief."

Credits: Supplied Image; Author: CM Loulé;

In the same document, Rui Rocha reveals that the expansion makes Loulé a "strategic hub for air resources in the South of the country," through an infrastructure that will serve not only the Algarve but also the Baixo Alentejo region.

"In these aerial resource centres, both those focused on rural fires and those, like this one, that also combine medical emergencies, maximum readiness is essential! In emergency rescue, one minute can often mean the difference between life and death," stated the government official, underlining the importance of the investment.

Through the expansion, the helipad will be able to accommodate "five helicopters permanently," two more than it had previously. A new hangar with capacity for heavy-duty helicopters was also created, as well as increased parking, fuelling, and aircraft maintenance, and expanded accommodation and technical support areas for the crews of the National Emergency and Civil Protection Authority (ANEPC) and the National Institute of Medical Emergency (INEM).

The infrastructure improvements allow the Loulé Base to "have unique regional facilities, capable of handling aerial operations for fighting rural fires, transport, medical emergencies, protection and rescue missions, and search and rescue." In 2018, the heliport's use as a rescue facility was suspended. Thus, starting in October 2025, the Municipal Heliport "will once again drastically reduce response times to emergencies on the coast and inland, currently dependent on Air Force assets based several kilometres away."

"The Municipality of Loulé has played a pioneering and decisive role in consolidating this infrastructure. In 2015, with support from community funds, it constructed the support building for the Loulé Permanent Helicopter Base. The facilities have a capacity for 21 people and include administrative, logistical, and social areas that ensure the continuous operation of the ANEPC and INEM teams," the municipality stated in a statement.

Credits: Supplied Image; Author: CM Loulé;

The Loulé City Council states that the investment in the project cost over three million euros and was financed by the "CILIFO – Iberian Centre for Research and Fight Against Forest Fires" project. However, the expansion of the Loulé Municipal Heliport also received funding from the city.

"This is the culmination of a political program that has been systematically pursued over many years. We are a municipality with a central, strategic geographic location; from here, resources can be projected to any area of ​​the Algarve or even the Baixo Alentejo, saving time, which is crucial given the nature of the work performed here," stated Vitor Aleixo, Mayor of Loulé, as quoted in the statement.