improvements in the different airports and in the management of air traffic. In a period of expansion in the economy and in air traffic, with intense competition between destinations and airports, ANA's response was continued growth, topped with record performance levels in the year of Expo98, equally in terms of turnover, net profits and investments. At the end of 1998, ANA Aeroportos, EP, split into two new companies, leaving these a legacy of infrastructures, positive economic and corporate indicators and a culture of competitiveness. ANA – Aeroportos de Portugal, SA, focused on airport management, and NAV, EP, focused on air navigation, were thus born. ANA, SA appeared within a context of accelerated globalization, with the increasingly more intense movement of people and goods. Its competitiveness and that of the country was dependent on its responses to this new situation. One of these responses was a new strategic vision, which defined ANA as a benchmark group in airport services. The group included, amongst other companies, Portway, a handling operator since 2000, and NAER, set up in 1998 to move forward with the new Lisbon airport. The government's decision to build the new airport was not only a response to the reported saturation at the Portela airport, but was also to give the country a hub connecting the Atlantic to Europe. The location of the new airport was decided in 1999, followed by its model in 2000: a public-private partnership to be combined with the privatization of ANA itself. Meanwhile, expansion continued at Portela, aiming the achievement of its full potential, and a new development plan was created for the Sá Carneiro Airport, aimed at allowing it to serve the whole of the North East of Iberia. Cristiano Ronaldo International Airport, then known as Madeira Airport, an example of engineering prowess, opened the archipelago up to large aircraft, and Faro Airport was renovated, with a view to making it the best tourist airport in the Iberian Peninsula. This focus on expansion and competitiveness suffered a serious setback with the 9/11 attacks. The crisis in the economy and in aviation led to a heavy loss of income, compounded by increased security costs. International instability and Portugal's economic difficulties called into question large projects such as the new Lisbon airport, which the Government suspended in 2004. In this context, it became even more important to adopt a lighter structure with fewer costs, in which