A reader of The Portugal News, a retired BA captain with more than 55 years of experience in transiting international airports, described Faro Airport as “one of the worst in the civilized world” after he and his wife were forced to wait in the arrivals hall with “more than 1,000 passengers waiting to pass through immigration. What a terrible inditement and organisational failure of the Portuguese Border Police”.

He added: “Portugal, with the Algarve in particular, is very dependent on the hospitality industry and the organising authority should ensure the first and last experience of all passengers arriving and departing is a good one and not be delayed by the shambles at Faro airport which has been in existence now for years. The authorities responsible for this should be ashamed of themselves”.

Another reader contacted The Portugal News to highlight his elderly relatives had been waiting at arrivals for more than 45 minutes and he himself had been delayed by over two hours: “This is a disgrace and needs to be sorted out”.

It is not just travellers who have highlighted issues at Faro Airport; APAL, the Albufeira Promotion Agency, has also issued a statement about the adverse effects that delays at Faro Airport are having.

“APAL – Albufeira Promotion Agency expresses its deep concern about the situation that has occurred in recent days at Faro International Airport, with long queues and prolonged waiting times at passport control, which in some cases exceed three hours.

“This reality negatively affects the experience of the thousands of visitors who choose the Algarve as a holiday destination, with Albufeira being the main tourist destination in the region. Our city annually welcomes a significant number of tourists arriving through this airport, and episodes such as those reported compromise the ongoing effort to promote and qualify the local and regional tourism offering.

“It is essential to emphasise that this type of constraint does not arise from a specific situation, but from a recurring problem, especially during periods of greater affluence. The repetition of these failures compromises not only the image of the region but also the perception of quality and efficiency of reception services.

“APAL therefore appeals to the competent entities, namely the Government, ANA – Aeroportos de Portugal and other authorities involved, to take urgent and structural measures to guarantee the proper functioning of Faro Airport, in line with the strategic importance of tourism for the regional and national economy”.

In response to complaints, the information and Passenger Service department at Faro Airport stated that they are “fully committed to addressing feedback and supporting passengers”; however, passport control operations are managed by the Portuguese Border Police and the “allocation of passport control desks and related procedures are entirely under their jurisdiction”.

October changes

The Border Guard Officer from PSP Faro stated about the situation: “Border controls carried out at the external borders of the Schengen Area are mandatory and involve not only passport control but also, in accordance with the Schengen Borders Code, verification of the purpose of the visit, conditions of stay, cross-checking against various databases and verification of means of subsistence during the stay.

“Depending on the passenger profile and other factors, this control may take more or less time and therefore it is not possible to make any assumption about the time it will take to cross the border.

“We are also upgrading our passport control systems to comply with the new Entry Exit System that will come into effect in October and we experienced an issue with the new system nationwide on the 15th which led to an even longer time for passport control”.

New systems

Meanwhile, it has been announced that new border control systems are being installed from today at airports and seaports and will allow for “more rigorous and efficient management of the entry and exit” of citizens in the Schengen area.

According to the SSI, these systems are being installed as part of the European border management digital transformation plan, which will bring “more innovation, security and trust”.

The SSI states that these new systems are being installed from today at several air and sea border points with the involvement of the GNR, PSP, the entities managing airport and port infrastructures, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Agency for Immigration and Mobility (AIMA) and the National Internal Security Network (RNSI).

The systems in question are ‘VIS4’ (European Visa Information System), ‘PASSE+’ (National Air and Land Border Control System) and the Border Portal.

The SSI highlights that these systems “bring more automated, rigorous and efficient management of the entry and exit of national and foreign citizens in the Schengen area, with a direct impact on visa control, biometric registration and movement history of citizens from third countries”.

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Author

Originally from the UK, Daisy has been living and working in Portugal for more than 20 years. She has worked in PR, marketing and journalism, and has been the editor of The Portugal News since 2019. Jornalista 7920

Daisy Sampson