Algarve Tourism has today called for a much-needed structural response to agonisingly long queues at Faro Airport, urging those responsible for the airport to invest in faster software, improiving the running of their passenger-related procedures, and reinforcing staff numbers at air border controls.
The president of Algarve Tourism, André Gomes, had already criticised the Government’s terrible handling of the lengthy queues recorded at airport border controls back in 2025, opining that only a long-term solution would address the problem. The issue is a chronic one, going back to at least the second half of the 2010s, arising as a knock-on effect of increased interest in holidaying in the Algarve, namely through package-holiday providers, amongst other factors.
“Airport queues were one of the issues discussed at our meeting. From the point of view of the Algarve region in particular, which I represent, what I would like to see from the Government is a different response from the one currently in place, which effectively amounts to a mere suspension of the system. That will not solve anything,” he told journalists after this week’s meeting of the Strategic Council for Tourism Promotion, held at the headquarters of the Algarve Tourism Region (RTA), in Faro.
At Faro Airport, disruptions at border control peaked several times throughout 2025, particularly during periods of high tourist demand, prompting outrage online from passengers, as well as complaints from major airlines and several sector bodies. It is safe to say that the airport’s reputation for passenger care has been thoroughly tarnished.
Back in May 2025, the Algarve branch of the Portuguese Association of Travel and Tourism Agencies (ATA) publicly warned of the consequences of long queues and waiting times that, in some cases, exceeded several hours. This then led the Public Security Police (PSP) to be called in to reinforce staffing at passport control stations.
The issue gained national prominence at the start of the summer, when the Government stated that the problems at Lisbon and Faro airports would be resolved within two weeks, a ridiculous claim that drew criticism and requests for clarification in Parliament.
Towards the end of 2025, further instances of prolonged queues at Lisbon’s airport once again placed border controls at the centre of public debate. As a result, the Government was left with no other option than to suspend the application of certain elements of the EU’S new European Entry/Exit System (EES), which applies to passengers from outside the Schengen area.
In Faro, he explained, disruptions occur “sporadically and depending on the time of year”, but nonetheless require year-round structural solutions. As such, the tourism sector maintains ongoing coordination with the responsible authorities, being “permanently and daily involved in a series of working groups with ‘ANA’ - Airports of Portugal, with the different national airports, and with five government ministries that are working every day to resolve this problem,” Gomes continued.
Even if change does come, whether the region’s only airport will be able to shed this lingering black mark on its reputation remains uncertain. The tourism chief linked difficulties faced by tourists directly to a perceived damage to the destination’s image, noting that the consequences go beyond operational issues and affect how these episodes are perceived by external markets and tour operators.
“These perceptions have an impact on our activity,” he said, "generating unnecessary costs and frustration for travellers.”
Gomes also issued an appeal: “It is extremely important for us, and for the entire national tourism sector, that this problem is resolved. That is what we expect from the Government, from ANA, and from the authorities responsible in this area,” he concluded.
At the end of 2025, Faro Airport surpassed the 10 million passenger mark for the first time ever. The milestone, confirming a continuing trend of growth in the region’s tourism industry, appears to show that whichever issues with its image the region may suffer from as a result of the airport’s long-standing failures, the stream of tourists won’t be ceasing any time soon.
Source: Barlavento
