Lisbon Airport Adds Police After Queue Chaos
Lisbon Airport will receive 48 additional Public Security Police officers starting Friday after weeks of long queues at border control. Portugal’s Ministry of Internal Administration confirmed the reinforcement to Lusa, saying the measure is intended to speed up checks at arrivals and departures. The airport has faced growing pressure as waiting times have stretched during busy periods.
What will change at Lisbon Airport
The ministry said border-control capacity will be increased with:
- 14 more document-control booths at arrivals, bringing the total to 34
- 4 more booths at departures, raising the total to 18
- 31 e-gates at arrivals after a further 14 are added
- 18 e-gates at departures after 4 more are installed
The move follows recent congestion at Lisbon’s border posts, where delays have been linked locally to the Europe-wide Entry/Exit System. ACI Europe previously told Lusa that waiting times at peak moments had reached up to 3.5 hours on the continent, almost twice the two hours recorded at the start of April. The Portuguese government has said the response at airports was unsatisfactory.
The changes should make Lisbon easier to use for travellers arriving on long-haul flights or connecting through Portugal. Faster passport control would help visitors reach the city centre, Sintra, Cascais or onward trains with less stress after landing. The same capacity plan is expected to reach Porto and Faro in June and July, improving access to northern Portugal and the Algarve too.
The extra officers will not remove every airport risk. Summer crowds, flight bunching and new border technology can still create delays, especially for non-EU arrivals. Still, the decision gives travellers a clearer sign that Portugal is trying to fix the worst pressure points before the busiest holiday months, rather than leaving long queues as the new normal.