Latest news and stories about airports in travel 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.
The Minister of Infrastructure guarantees that airports are better prepared to respond to the increase in passengers during the summer months.
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.
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.
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.
Delays were only felt at Faro airport.
In a statement, the entity expressed concern regarding the uncertainty surrounding the process of granting ground handling licenses.
Home News Portugal presents app to reduce queues at airports Portugal presents app to reduce queues at airports As the busy travel season approaches and it is still unclear when the EES (Entry/Exit System) will be reactivated, the European agency Frontex has launched the “Travel to Europe” app in
The Prime Minister argued that Vinci has its most profitable operation in Portugal.
Home News Landings from UK increase in Portugal airports Landings from UK increase in Portugal airports National airports handled 4. 4 million passengers in January. By TPN/Lusa, in News · 1 day ago · 0 Comments Credits: Wikipedia; This represents a 4.
National airports handled 4.4 million passengers in January, a 4.0% increase compared to the same month in 2025, according to data released by the National Statistics Institute (INE) this Friday, the 13th. Humberto Delgado Airport in Lisbon handled 56.6% of total passengers (2.5 million), a year-on-year increase of 3.4%, while Francisco Sá Carneiro Airport in Porto handled 23.6% of the total (1.0 million passengers, equivalent to a 9.6% rise). Gago Coutinho Airport in Faro saw a year-on-year decrease of 2.5%, handling 302,100 passengers, or 6.8% of the total. Cristiano Ronaldo Airport in Funchal was the third busiest airport in the first month of this year, with a year-on-year increase of 4.8% to 345,900. On average, 68,200 passengers disembarked per day, up from 65,600 in the same month last year. Throughout January, 16,500 commercial aircraft landed at national airports, a 2.9% year-on-year increase. Spain was the main country of origin for flights, with a 5.6% rise in disembarked passengers, followed by France (-3.8%), while for destinations the positions were reversed, with France in first place (a 4.1% decrease in embarked passengers) and Spain in second (a 5.4% increase). The United Kingdom occupied third place for both origin and destination, with increases of 1.5% in disembarked passengers and 3.2% in embarked passengers. Brazil and Germany alternated between fourth and fifth positions depending on whether they were the origin or destination country, INE added. Regarding cargo and mail handled at national airports, there was a year-on-year decrease of 1.6% to 17,992 tonnes. Lisbon Airport handled 13,679 tonnes, equivalent to 76.3% of the total and a year-on-year decrease of 2.4%, while other airports saw a 1.0% increase.
