Portugal deploys 367 new border officers on Monday to tackle airport queues

The Portuguese government is deploying 367 new PSP border officers to the country’s airports from Monday in a bid to reduce passport control queues during the peak summer travel season.

The reinforcement comes after the introduction of the European Entry/Exit System (EES) in October last year increased processing times for passengers arriving from countries outside the Schengen Area, contributing to lengthy queues at several airports, particularly Lisbon.

The new officers will begin a two-week operational placement at airport border posts before joining the PSP’s frontline border control teams.

They will be deployed across the country’s five international airport regions, with 170 assigned to Lisbon, 78 to Porto, 69 to Faro, 29 to Madeira and 21 to the Azores.

Speaking at the closing ceremony of the 16th Air Border Control Course in Torres Novas, Internal Administration Minister Luís Neves said the additional officers should help speed up passenger processing while maintaining current security standards.

“These officers will provide what we all want: greater speed and smoother processing at our airport borders,” he said.

However, Neves cautioned that passengers should not expect queues to disappear completely.

“There will always be queues,” he said, explaining that delays may still occur because of technical problems or difficulties accessing national and international databases.

He also highlighted the continued growth in air travel, noting that Portugal is currently handling around 20,000 more passengers each day than at the same time last year.

“Our airports, many of which were built decades ago, were not designed for the number of passengers they now receive,” he said, adding that the government is working with airport operator ANA to address infrastructure constraints.

The minister expressed confidence that the combination of extra personnel and technological improvements would significantly improve passenger flows.

“The queues we have seen, those moments we have witnessed, will come to an end,” he said, while acknowledging that isolated delays could still occur during exceptionally busy periods.

Michael Bruxo

Journalist for the Portugal Resident.