Torres Novas, Portugal, July 3, 2026 (Lusa) - The interior minister stated on Friday that the deployment of 367 additional PSP police officers at Portugal's airport borders will speed up passenger screening, although he acknowledged that occasional queues may still occur due to operational constraints.
“These approximately 366 officers who will be deployed to airport border control points will deliver what we all want, greater speed and efficiency in this operation,” Luís Neves told journalists on the sidelines of the closing ceremony for the theoretical component of the 16th Air Border Control Course, in Torres Novas, in the region of Santarém.
On Monday, the 367 officers will begin a two-week operational placement at air border posts, as the final phase of their training, and will be deployed across the airports of Lisbon (170), Porto (78), Faro (69), Funchal (29) and the Azores (21), thereby strengthening the PSP’s operational capacity to screen passengers arriving from countries outside the Schengen area.
Despite this reinforcement, Luís Neves warned that there may still be occasional disruptions to airport operations, emphasising that “there will always be queues” and that there may be days when IT problems or issues accessing national and international databases affect the speed of passenger screening.
The minister also pointed out that the rise in passenger numbers has placed additional pressure on airport infrastructure, noting that Portugal is currently receiving 20,000 more passengers a day than during the same period last year.
“The physical spaces at our airports, which are many years old, have not been adapted to accommodate this number of passengers,” he said, adding that the government is working with the airports managing company, ANA, to resolve existing constraints at some airports.
Luís Neves maintained that increasing human and technological resources will enable current security levels to be maintained, whilst making border controls more efficient – an operation he considered essential for tourism and the economy.
The minister argued that security will remain the priority at airport borders, noting that the increased resources will now also improve the efficiency of passenger screening.
“We must now maintain that same level of security whilst adding a new level of efficiency to airport operations,” he said.
The minister expressed his conviction that airport operations will now enter a new phase, arguing that the work carried out in recent months will enable the constraints experienced at air borders to be overcome.
“Those queues we saw, those moments we witnessed, will come to an end,” he said, noting, however, that there may still be days when occasional delays occur.
During the ceremony, Luís Neves addressed the new officers, noting that they will carry out a mission “vital to the security of Europe” and the country, and calling on them to demonstrate a sense of responsibility, dedication and pride in the performance of their duties.
“From Monday onwards, you are the first line of defence for the security of the country and of Europe. Never forget that,” he said, adding that he had “no doubt” that the airport security operation “will be a success” and “set an example”.
The minister also praised the PSP’s response to the difficulties experienced at airports in recent months, stating that the force had been the target of unfair criticism.
“The Public Security Police (PSP) is not at the mercy of unfounded criticism” and “everyone must shoulder their responsibilities”, he said, emphasising that he had always stood by the force during a period he described as one of “great suffering”.
Since the European Entry/Exit System (EES) came into operation in October 2025, waiting times at border control for passengers arriving from countries outside the Schengen area have worsened, particularly at Lisbon Airport.
Meanwhile, the government has bolstered the PSP’s human and technological resources at the borders and deployed these 367 officers to cope with the increase in air traffic during the summer.
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