By INÊS LOPES ines.lopes@algarveresident.com
Portimão Municipal Aerodrome is currently being used by 220 international skydivers who are taking advantage of the facility’s ‘unique conditions’ to improve their skydiving techniques.
The parachutists, mainly from Northern Europe and aged between 20 and 60, are taking part in an international meeting of the sport at the aerodrome, where they can benefit from favourable climatic and safe conditions, said Portimão Câmara in a press release.
“Skydivers book this time of year, as the region enters the low season for tourism, to take holidays with their families, usually spending two to three weeks here, and thus provide much needed revenue for the hotel, restaurant, car hire and retail sectors,” said the câmara.
Organisers of the event, Paralvor Centro de Paraquedismo, are using two planes with a capacity for 17 parachutists each and able to ascend to an altitude of 16,000ft in just eight minutes, while a normal aircraft would reach 12-13,000ft in altitude in about 25 minutes.
For Christmas and New Year, a group of 250 parachutists has booked to use the aerodome and in springtime next year, more than 400 parachutists are expected to train in skydiving techniques from the Alvor base.
The Portimão area is considered one of the most attractive for skydiving due to its weather conditions in autumn and winter as well as unique landscapes, such as the contrasting coastline and countryside scenery, with the Monchique hills in the background.
An Italian skydiving team is this week using the aerodrome to train for a world competition taking place in Dubai from November 26 to December 10. According to data from Paralvor, in 2011 more than 730 skydivers from around the world used the aerodrome, particularly Norwegians, Germans, French, Austrian, British and Finnish, together generating revenue of around €1.2 million, vital in the low tourist season.
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