Latest news and stories about tourism in infrastructure in Lisbon, Lisboa, Portugal for expats and residents.
Luxair has postponed flights to and from Lisbon and Porto originally scheduled for Wednesday, June 3, due to the nationwide general strike in Portugal. The airline confirmed that while these major hubs are affected, flights to Funchal and Faro are expected to proceed as planned. Passengers are advised to check their flight status as the industrial action impacts aviation and ground handling services across the country.
A coordinated general strike called by the General Confederation of Portuguese Workers (Confederação Geral dos Trabalhadores Portugueses or CGTP) is scheduled for Wednesday, June 3, with disruptions expected to begin as early as Tuesday. The industrial action will affect national airspace, railway operations, and urban public transport, with authorities advising passengers to check flight statuses before heading to airports.
The General Confederation of the Portuguese Workers (CGTP – Confederação Geral dos Trabalhadores Portugueses) is Portugal’s largest trade-union confederation, grouping most unions in manufacturing, public services and many other sectors.
Founded clandestinely in 1970 as “Intersindical” under the dictatorship, it emerged publicly after the 1974 Carnation Revolution and was legalised in 1975. It has been central to virtually all major labour struggles since then, from defending collective bargaining and the 40‑hour week to leading general strikes against austerity and labour‑law rollbacks.
CGTP is historically close to the Portuguese Communist Party and has a class‑struggle, anti‑neoliberal profile, strongly critical of EU and government policies seen as undermining workers’ rights. It favours grassroots mobilisation and strikes over compromise, often refusing national social‑pact deals that the more centrist UGT is willing to sign.
In today’s Portugal, CGTP remains a key actor in wage bargaining, labour‑law debates and national protests; together with UGT it called the first joint general strike in years in December 2025, signalling its continuing capacity to organise mass action.
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.
Infrastructure limitations at Lisbon airport (Aeroporto de Lisboa) have resulted in 12% of requested flight slots for the summer season going unfulfilled. The National Air Navigation (Navegação Aérea de Portugal or NAV) warned that these capacity constraints are penalizing the tourism sector. Travelers should note that the lack of slots may limit flight options and keep ticket prices high during the peak season.
NAV Portugal (Navegação Aérea de Portugal) is the state-owned authority responsible for air traffic control and management in Portuguese airspace. It manages flight slots at major airports like Lisbon, where current infrastructure limits prevented the approval of 12% of requested slots for the upcoming summer season. Travelers should note that these capacity constraints frequently contribute to delays during peak periods.
An analysis of the potential challenges facing Portugal's tourism and transport sectors during the summer season, including industrial action and rising costs.
The ongoing chaos at Lisbon Airport is a predictable consequence of decades of political inaction and a lack of infrastructure investment, highlighting a broader culture of neglect in public services that prioritizes political power struggles over the needs of travelers and taxpayers.
Portugal is facing delays or difficulties at the arrival stage.
The Avenida Association warns that operational constraints at Lisbon Airport are damaging Portugal's tourism competitiveness and hindering foreign investment.
The President of the Tourism Confederation (CTP), Francisco Calheiros, warns that the situation regarding entries into Portugal through Lisbon Airport has improved, but is not resolved and the impact on the country's image has been very negative.
The Tourism Confederation admits that the operational issues at Lisbon airport have caused significant reputational damage.
Delays for arrivals in Portugal at Lisbon Airport have been reduced, but the very negative image of the country remains and has had an impact on tourism.
Delays for arrivals in Portugal at Lisbon Airport have been reduced, but the very negative image of the country remains and has had an impact on tourism.
TAP Air Portugal plans to carry 2.1 million passengers across 15 routes connecting Brazil and Portugal.
FlixBus is expanding its transport network by adding new routes connecting cities in Portugal and Spain.
In the company's ranking, Portuguese airports do not shine: Lisbon remains at the bottom of the list, between Vietnam and Pakistan, Funchal is worsening, Porto is improving, and Faro is achieving better ratings.
Please the greatest number, feign political courage, trade principles for expedients and efficiency for propaganda.
The industrial action had its biggest impact at Lisbon Airport, where nearly 100 arrivals and departures were cancelled throughout the day. Porto Airport was also heavily affected, with close to The post Portugal airport strike causes major flight disruptions as hundreds of services cancelled appeared first on Portugal Resident.
The departures and arrivals screen at Humberto Delgado Airport in Lisbon is filled with red alerts this Wednesday due to the impacts of the general strike.
One hour, five minutes and 35 seconds. Grace, a young English tourist travelling with her boyfriend, shows ECO the image of the stopwatch stopped on her smartphone. That was the time it took them to pass through border control after landing in Lisbon from London this Tuesday morning. And it was not longer because...
Rafael Schvartzman, from the International Air Transport Association for Europe, accuses ANA of 'not doing a good job' at Lisbon airport and criticises the company for 'not reinvesting profits', which amounted to 599 million euros in 2025. He warns of the risk that the airport's limitations pose for this summer.
