Parliament demands answers over Lajes refuelling
The use of Lajes Air Base (Base Aérea das Lajes) to refuel American planes bound for Middle East operations has stirred a parliamentary controversy, with questions about whether Portuguese conditions on use were met. Experts quoted by outlets dispute the government account that flights were limited to refuelling and not used in attacks; Paulo Rangel will be heard in Parliament at the request of PS and PAN while Livre and Bloco seek explanations. Residents in the Azores and those following defence policy should watch parliamentary hearings for any diplomatic or base-access implications.
Lajes Air Base (Base Aérea das Lajes) is a Portuguese military airfield on Terceira Island in the Azores that has served as a strategic mid‑Atlantic stop for military and civilian flights since World War II. Its use for US military refuelling matters because operations there involve Portuguese sovereignty and government approval, so allowing US planes to refuel for missions to the Middle East can create legal and political controversy in Lisbon and the Azores.
Paulo Rangel is a Portuguese politician from the Social Democratic Party (Partido Social Democrata or PSD) who has been a prominent voice on defence and foreign‑policy issues and has served in the European Parliament. He appears in this story because he commented publicly on the controversy over Lajes Air Base being used to refuel US planes.
