en 
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”.
Related article:
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
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And how long do Europeans have to wait at New York airports?
By H from Algarve on 20 May 2025, 20:11
Fantastic to read that AIMA are involved in the new passport verification checks; no doubt all the queues will rapidly dissipate with a seamless transfer of systems… as AIMA has already shown such outstanding efficiency and fortitude in relation to the department’s handling of Visas and renewal of TRC.
By Luc from Other on 21 May 2025, 07:39
Ridicolous comments frorm probably american or UK visitors: try Miami ,NY SFO or LA or even Heathrow and wiill appreciate what real service is . Shut up before you talk.
By Giuliano Bertolazzi from Algarve on 21 May 2025, 12:18
The comments that the US or UK are longer than Faro are laughable. Worse, they seem to show nationalistic hate.
Immigration wait times are known and recorded. Faro is the longest in Europe in season, with an average 67 minute arrival wait, with max of over 3 hours, & departure waits averaging 54 minutes, with a max of over two hours.
The UK & US rarely have waits like this. Rarely.
A small anecdote, but an example, of current situation.. Yesterday I flew from Faro to Newark with a Porgtuguese friend. Time to clear Faro border control at 9am was 2:02 minutes for both of us. . In Newark, as an American, I cleared ipassport control in 7 minutes, my friend in 16 minutes. There were 36 manned passport control stations. All moving very fast, including a photo of each arriving person & more quesitons than in Faro.
I travel through 18-25 countries each year for my work. Have been living in the Algarve for 28 years. No airport I fly through consistently takes a much time as Faro. Faro has consistent, long delays. Second words, for non UK residents, is Heathrow, which is still significantly less than Faro. Lisbon, on the contrary, is usually only a 7-15 minute wait, with a similar amount of manned border control booths. At times, you could literally arrive into Lisbon & drive down to Albufeira before clearing border control in Faro.
The Algarve is an amazing place. My favorite place on earth. Portugal is a fantastic country. One of the best. But sorry, Faro's border patrol speed is just flat horrible & needs to be fixed. None of this "Yah but xxxxx airport is bad too" solves the issue, it's simply an embarrasing defense.
Time to fix Faro, Portuguese govt, or the economy & reputation will be highly damaged.
By Mark Dahcke from Algarve on 21 May 2025, 13:38
I did a quick calculation. In 8 hours of arrivals half of them (32) we from the British Isles, assuming an avg 150 passengers per flight and avg 5 mins per passenger for passport check. It equates to 400 hours! You would need 50 staff to process in a timely manner. They have about 5. Something needs to be done.
By Aby from UK on 21 May 2025, 15:12
We travel often through Faro Airport .I dread what kind of queue we will have .I am a resident of Portugal for many years but have to line up with Holliday makers for hours to get through passport control because I have a UK passport My family dread flying to see me because of the very long delays Family members and tourists will chose not to spend time and money in the Algarve if this stupidity isn’t stopped
By Linda from Algarve on 22 May 2025, 14:54
What's worse is claiming metal staircase only to come down again, then standing in a long queue and often only 2 police on duty
By Kevin Thompson from UK on 22 May 2025, 21:12
After 25 years of my parents holidaying in the Algarve, we are strongly considering whether to ever return. Since returning to the area in 2023 after COVID, there has been a continuous decline in the efficiency of the Border Police. Last Saturday on arrival to Faro airport, we waited an hour and a half in a queue with my elderly mother. Our transfer almost left without us. The Border Police take no responsibility for the welfare of passengers: children, elderly or infirm. Their is a clear impression anyone outside the EU are unwelcome. I feel for all the industries that rely on tourist because many people will not return after these experiences and never consider it in the first place following word of mouth.
By Susan Tait from UK on 23 May 2025, 23:05
I think the Algarve is in danger of greatly over estimating its allure to holidaymakers. People will not put up with waits of three hours in a hot, sweaty airport. If no one in Portugal can see that such times are crazy then they deserve to see the demise of their tourism industry. I would simply stop visiting if I were a tourist. Then let’s see how the hotels, AL, bars, golf courses, etc, etc survive. This is the epitome of shooting one’s self in the head.
By Paul K from Algarve on 26 May 2025, 10:47
Faro is horrendous at the moment, I am a property owner and fly in once a month as a minimum, I prepare myself for this each time by carrying additional water and snacks, but have seen a number of passengers both old and young collapse.
I am now at the stage where I am considering flying to Seville in Spain and taking a two hour drive to my property from there.
It will certainly be more interesting than standing in a badly ventilated and badly managed queue for 3 hours
By Andrew J Allen from UK on 30 May 2025, 09:38