Latest news and stories about airports in Portugal for expats and residents.
Infrastructure Minister Miguel Pinto Luz acknowledged that long border control queues at Lisbon, Porto, and Faro airports are damaging Portugal's international image. Passenger numbers have risen by nearly 70% over the last decade, yet infrastructure and staffing levels have not kept pace, leading to significant delays for travelers arriving from outside the Schengen Area.
Portuguese airports faced significant operational instability on April 19, resulting in 233 flight delays and 6 cancellations. Humberto Delgado Airport in Lisbon was the most impacted, with 188 delays, while Porto also experienced substantial disruptions. Authorities attributed the logistical issues to a combination of air traffic control failures and weather conditions.
Portuguese authorities have officially declined requests to suspend the implementation of the Entry/Exit System (EES) at airports during the peak summer season, maintaining their commitment to the new regulatory framework despite concerns over potential travel disruptions.
Miguel Pinto Luz guaranteed that this airport issue has been monitored by his ministry in coordination with the Minister of Internal Administration.
In April, an average of 111.8 thousand passengers landed per day at national airports, up from the 109.9 thousand recorded in April 2024, representing a growth of 1.7%, according to the INE.
A Portuguese airport has been ranked among the worst globally.
Portuguese airports lost ground in the 2026 edition of the AirHelp ranking, with Humberto Delgado appearing among the worst in the world. Francisco Sá Carneiro was the only one to rise. In another ranking, by Skytraxx, both Lisbon and Porto fell a few places. The capital's infrastructure appears in 274th place...
National airports are seeing the highest growth in passenger numbers compared to other transport modes, reaching a record 14.5 million in the first quarter, a 4% year-on-year increase. While air and rail travel saw growth, the metro system and river transport experienced declines, with the metro losing 1.6 million passengers and river transport dropping by over 164,000. Additionally, freight transport across all modes saw a decrease, with road freight recording the sharpest decline at 12.7%.
The executive director of RENA praises the reinforcement of human and material resources, but warns that Portugal must prepare a second phase of response now for the months of July and August.
“There will always be technological problems, which are still being fine-tuned,” conceded the Minister of Internal Administration, who ruled out “chaos” at airports.
Minister of Internal Administration, Luís Neves, stated that “there will always be technological issues, which are still being fine-tuned,” while attributing the long queues to the “construction work that was being carried out” at the airports.
Portugal has triggered the legal mechanism with European institutions that allows for the suspension of biometric data collection at airports in situations of significant delays at border control.
The European Commission has confirmed that Portuguese authorities have the green light to pause the gathering of biometric information at airport facilities.
The European Commission indicates that Portugal has the option to pause biometric data collection at airports should the need arise.
A new training course with 683 candidates is scheduled to start in June.
More than half of the 570 new PSP police officers who finished their training course today will be deployed to Portuguese airports, totaling 360, with the remainder assigned to the Lisbon Metropolitan Command.
More than half of the 570 new PSP police officers finishing their training course this Thursday will be stationed at Portuguese airports, totaling 360, with the remainder assigned to the Lisbon Metropolitan Command. The 21st agent training course concludes with the oath of honour ceremony at the Practical School.
Home News New police officers in Portugal will be stationed at airports New police officers in Portugal will be stationed at airports More than half of the 570 new PSP police officers who finish their agent training course on 28 May will be stationed at Portuguese airports, totalling 360, with th
In a survey conducted across 45 European airports, ACI Europe concluded that the situation is “worrying,” with several airports that previously did not report excessive wait times now doing so.
The entity also stated that it has been “actively working to guide travel agencies so that they assist travellers in adapting to the new rules”.
Portuguese airports recorded a 2.3% increase in passenger numbers in April, bucking the 1.2% decline recorded across the universe of airports operated by Vinci, in a month marked by the impact of the conflict in the Middle East and the sharp rise in jet fuel prices. Growth last month at Portuguese airports — ...
Home News Number of passengers at Azores airports fell Number of passengers at Azores airports fell The number of passengers disembarking at Azores airports fell again in April.
The recent and unprecedented warning from ANAC that limited operations at Horta Airport, preventing planes from landing, reminds us that it is important to comply with mandatory standards, procedures, and legislation.
ACI Europe explains that airlines tend to reduce capacity by cutting routes that include regional airports.
Home News Porto and Funchal airports are growing faster than Lisbon airport Porto and Funchal airports are growing faster than Lisbon airport The aviation sector in Portugal started 2026 with renewed vigour, registering a 3.
Home News 4. 3 million people checked at Portugal air borders 4. 3 million people checked at Portugal air borders The Portuguese PSP checked over 4.
