Lisbon Airport named among world’s worst as Faro tops Portugal for punctuality

Lisbon’s Humberto Delgado Airport has been ranked among the world’s worst airports in the latest AirHelp Score 2026, adding to growing concerns over delays and overcrowding at Portugal’s busiest gateway.

The annual study assessed 279 airports across 76 countries, measuring on-time performance, passenger satisfaction and airport facilities. Lisbon placed 274th out of 279 airports worldwide, making it one of the six lowest-ranked airports on the planet. Its on-time performance score was just 6.3 out of 10.

While Lisbon struggled, Faro Airport emerged as Portugal’s best-performing major airport for punctuality. According to AirHelp data, 79% of flights departing Faro operated on time, ahead of Porto, where 72% departed as scheduled. Lisbon lagged significantly behind, with only 56% of flights avoiding disruption.

The findings will come as little surprise to many travellers. Lisbon Airport has long been criticised for congestion, lengthy queues and operating beyond its intended capacity while awaiting the construction of the new Luís de Camões Airport.

Faced with the long queues that continue to frustrate thousands of travellers at Portuguese airports, a situation that has worsened with the rollout of the European Entry/Exit System (EES), Prime Minister Luís Montenegro has already voiced his dissatisfaction and warned that the government is taking stronger measures to protect Portugal’s reputation as a leading tourism destination.

Those measures are already beginning to take shape. Last week, Minister of Internal Administration Luís Neves announced the deployment of an additional 340 PSP officers to strengthen airport border control operations. Lisbon Airport will receive the largest reinforcement, from July 4, with 140 extra officers, while Porto will gain 100. The remaining personnel will be assigned to Faro, Funchal and Ponta Delgada.

According to Neves, the changes are already delivering improvements. “We have new spaces to accommodate people, we are acquiring technological equipment that has already been allocated, we have more booths where more PSP officers will be stationed, and so we are seeking to create conditions for the operation during the summer, and for the long term, to be different — for the better,” he said.

Another key measure under consideration is the temporary suspension of certain EES requirements. Speaking in May, Montenegro acknowledged that pausing the collection of biometric data could be an option to ease pressure at border controls.

“Suspending the collection of biometric data could be an option, like we have done in the past,” he said. “We will prioritise security in the country, but at the same time we must safeguard Portugal’s economic interests.”

The proposal reflects growing concern that lengthy border-control procedures could undermine the country’s tourism sector during the busy summer season.

But Lisbon was not alone in disappointing passengers. Other airports appearing near the bottom of the global rankings included Tunis Carthage in Tunisia, Lahore in Pakistan, Hurghada International in Egypt and Islamabad International in Pakistan.

For the Algarve, however, the report offers a welcome endorsement. Despite handling millions of tourists every year and experiencing intense seasonal peaks, Faro Airport has proven to be Portugal’s most reliable major airport.

As another busy summer season gets under way, the contrast between Faro’s efficiency and Lisbon’s ongoing struggles is likely to intensify calls for urgent improvements in the capital.