Lisbon, May 28, 2026 (Lusa) - Travel agencies fear that lengthy queues at Portugal's airports will have an impact on markets outside the Schengen area, citing reputational damage and the need for trust, the heads of APAVT (Portuguese Association of Travel Agencies and Tourism) and ANAV (National Association of Travel Agencies) told Lusa.

In written responses, Pedro Costa Ferreira, head of APAVT said he “fears that the persistence of queues at airports will primarily affect non-Schengen markets, which are strategic for Portugal”.

For him, “the impact may not immediately manifest as cancellations, but it will manifest as reputational damage, a loss of trust and a deterioration in the tourist experience”.

Miguel Quintas, head of ANAV pointed out that “tourism thrives on trust, predictability and ease of movement”.

"When a passenger from the US, the United Kingdom, Brazil, Canada or other non-Schengen markets arrives in Portugal and faces queues lasting hours, their first experience of the country is a negative one," he said, noting that "this affects the destination’s image, creates uncertainty regarding future bookings and may lead some tourists to choose competing destinations with smoother entry procedures".

For him, “Portugal cannot afford to appear disorganised, particularly in the markets with the highest added value and average spend.” When asked about the European Union’s statements, which deny that the problem is linked to the new Entry/Exit System (EES), Pedro Costa Ferreira and Miguel Quintas accept this, but issue warnings.

"This forces Portugal to look at its own problems regarding preparation, resources, technology and operational management".

"The European system may add complexity, but it was known and should have been prepared for,” said Pedro Costa Ferreira.

For Miguel Quintas, experience on the ground points to a lack of "human resources, [and] deficient technology, hardware that does not work, inadequate airport facilities, a lack of signage at the arrival area, an insufficient number of machines, poor internet connections, amongst other issues".

On the other hand, he pointed out, “it is one thing to say that the European system works; it is quite another to say that its operational implementation, at specific airports and during peak hours, is not causing constraints”.

“If each new check-in takes ‘just over a minute’, as Brussels says, that may seem like little in abstract terms, but multiplied by thousands of passengers during peak periods at a saturated airport, it becomes a real problem,” he pointed out.

As for the role of ANA – Aeroportos de Portugal (Portugal's airports manager) in managing this issue, Pedro Costa Ferreira believes that “it must be an active part of the solution”, saying that “border control does not depend solely on the concessionaire, the airport experience is viewed by the passenger as a whole. For those arriving, the responsibility lies with Portugal”.

Miguel Quintas, for his part, pointed out that “border control is a sovereign function of the state, not of ANA”, but this does not mean that the concessionaire “is not part of the equation”.

"ANA’s approach needs to be more proactive and less reactive, although it has been making efforts to resolve the issues for quite some time," he said, calling for "greater transparency regarding investments, deadlines, installed capacity and concrete measures before the summer".

APAVT assured that "it has maintained institutional dialogue with the government", but Pedro Costa Ferreira said that "the sector needs concrete results", which involve "strengthening resources, better operational coordination, clear communication to passengers and an urgent plan to ensure that airports no longer undermine the competitiveness of tourism".

ANAV said that it “has been warning for over a year [of the] need for urgent solutions at airports, because this problem did not arise overnight”, assuring that it has “maintained institutional contacts” and remains available to collaborate with the government.

Miguel Quintas said that the measures announced are “insufficient”.

"As long as there are passengers missing flights, families in long queues and operators dealing with complaints about failures beyond their control, the problem remains unresolved," he concluded.

ALN/MYAL // AYLS

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