Chief Inspector José Aleixo was speaking at Lisbon airport following the entry into force in the capital of the contingency plan that provides for more human and electronic resources at national airports.
"The flow of passengers is always high, there will always be waiting times and queues, but we are working to improve", said José Aleixo.
The SEF chief inspector said that between 5:20 am and 9:00 am on 3 June, 20 flights arrived with 4,000 people.
National airports will have a reinforcement of 238 elements of the SEF and PSP during the summer months, 82% more than the current staff at border posts, according to the contingency plan presented on Tuesday.
The national director of the Foreigners and Borders Service (SEF), Fernando Silva, indicated that this reinforcement of human resources will be gradual and will be stabilized on July 4th.
So the Portuguese government wants tourists to visit and spend money in the country, but says there will "always be congestion at the airports". Good luck with getting people to return. I spent 2 hours in line with hundreds of sweaty, tired, angry travelers at Lisbon airport a couple of months ago. It was not a good advertisement for an otherwise beautiful country.
By Paul from Lisbon on 04 Jun 2022, 19:01
It's going to be a summer of chaos everywhere where people travel en masse.
By Annie from Algarve on 04 Jun 2022, 22:51
Typical attitude of mediocre managers.
By Rui Duarte from Algarve on 05 Jun 2022, 20:15
This is not a problem in Portugal only. Try the airports in Canada and you'll see what is waiting.
By Ceu Moreira from Other on 09 Jun 2022, 01:58