798 passengers went through the new airport at Beja, Alentejo.

22 Scheduled flights from Heathrow brought 421 passengers,

while 377 passengers departed from Beja to Heathrow.

Nothing amazing about these facts,

EXCEPT

that this was the traffic of flights and passengers

from the new Beja airport, in Portugal,

SINCE 22 May 2011.

The aeroport cost at least €33 million,

and stands as an

ENORMOUS WHITE ELEPHANT!!

According to expectations and forecasts

from the Socrates' socialist government,

more than a million passengers would use Beja aeroport by 2015.

So far it has ONLY been a hot "mirage in the desert!"

In these 22 flights, there were 658 empty seats!

Excuses for the low demand verified

for the Alentejo are innumerous!!

Some of the most notorious excuses are:

1) low intermational demand;

2) reduced diversified hotel accommodation;

3) distance from beaches;

4) too expensive transfers;

5) lack of interest from touristic operators;

6) too hot summers;

7) no coastal city in the area;

8) international economic crisis.

A 2008/2009 market test showed an influx

of at least

300 million tourists to the Alentejo.

Without this demographic revolution,

Beja's aeroport will be

merely an open-air parking lot

for obsolete planes

and some occasional charter flights.

At the price of €33 millions of tax-payers' money!!