Porto, Portugal, May 22, 2026 (Lusa) – The Portuguese Secretary of State for Infrastructure said on Friday that border control constraints are affecting airports across Europe and not just in Portugal, assuring that the government is “taking action” to resolve them.
Speaking to journalists on the sidelines of the launch of Delta Air Lines’ direct flight between Porto and New York-JFK airport, Hugo Espírito Santo highlighted reports of problems at Amsterdam, Milan, Munich and at Tenerife’s airports, maintaining that “this is not a Portuguese issue”.
“Let’s be clear, this is not a Portuguese problem, it is a European problem at the moment,” he said.
While acknowledging that the government was not satisfied with the current situation, he guaranteed it is “taking action” by increasing capacity at Lisbon, Faro and Porto airports and strengthening technological and human resources.
On Thursday, the European Commission (EC) denied that the long queues at Portuguese airports were caused by the European Union’s new Entry/Exit System (EES), claiming that processing takes just over one minute on average.
When questioned about this, he said he understood the EC’s “great pride” and recognised “the need for the new system […] to better protect the borders”, but rejected any attempt to shift blame or debate who was at fault for the current bottlenecks.
“We are making a huge effort to respond to this challenge, which is a challenge that does not make us proud".
"I have spoken of this, and the infrastructure minister has also spoken of this, but let me make it clear: this is not a Portuguese issue,” he reiterated.
He also clarified that the situation did not stem from a lack of investment by ANA – Aeroportos de Portugal (the country's airports manager) since border control “is a sovereign function of the government, and therefore it is the government that ensures it”.
However, he acknowledged: "It is clear that our airports have not been growing, and without growth at our airports, we cannot provide enough space to accommodate the demand."
"We are working together; ANA is currently carrying out work at the various airports so that we can provide a solution."
PD/MYAL // AYLS
Lusa
