Lisbon, Aug. 27, 2026 (Lusa) - The chair of ANA's Executive Committee, Thierry Ligonnière, said on Thursday that Portuguese airports are now «a good example in Europe» in managing passenger flows and waiting times, and that the industry has resolved the issues experienced a few months ago.
«Portuguese airports, which have improved significantly in recent months, have now become a good example here in Europe – an example of efficiency in managing passenger flows and waiting times, and in terms of the quality of security checks,» the chair said on the sidelines of a visit to Lisbon Airport, which was also attended by the prime minister, Luís Montenegro.
He emphasised that «as a result of very effective collaboration with the various government departments, notably the Ministry of Internal Administration», and the investment made «in terms of resources and technology», the country's airports have seen «much smoother operations over the summer».
«And now we are also preparing for a new phase, on 6 September, when we will move to compete biometric identification [for screening passengers from outside the European Union]», he said, adding that the ‘stress tests' that the team has carried out have enabled them to learn «a little more about managing the system to improve it and reduce waiting times, whilst maintaining a high level of efficiency in the quality of controls».
«We are continuing to work, continuing in this spirit of collaboration with the various public bodies, with the ministries, of internal administration, infrastructure, economy, and cabinet affairs, and there is still work to be done; we have a series of things on the to-do list to further improve this management of passenger flows in terms of technology and coordination,» he maintained.
The prime minister announced today during his visit to Lisbon airport that authorities will carry out full collection of biometric data from foreign passengers from 6 September.
«On 6 September, we will need to collect all biometric data from non-EU citizens, and this will place increased pressure on our staff,» said Luís Montenegro.
Whilst saying that «everything is being done» to ensure that «that day goes smoothly and that the days, weeks and months that follow also go smoothly», the prime minister acknowledged that it will be a new «challenge for the entire functioning of this system», which the European Union has rolled out.
The European Entry/Exit System (EES) is an automated European Union system that replaces passport stamps with digital recording of biometric data (photograph and fingerprints) for non-EU citizens and has been rolled out across the EU in phases since October 2025.
Portugal and seven other countries had asked the European Commission to extend the temporary suspension beyond September.
When asked whether any increase in resources is planned from 6 September, the prime minister said that there would be «ongoing monitoring, which will naturally lead to greater investment in IT and technology» and that «some of the measures already being implemented will be improved».
«By making the most of what the system already has, it is possible to make it more efficient, faster and more streamlined, with a few procedural changes. We may also need to change one or two rules within the legal framework,» he added.
On the subject of increasing staff numbers, he said that «there is always pressure in many places» and pointed out that «there is a need for investment in Porto Airport, for example, which is already being planned and will be developed very quickly, because it will be one of those airports where pressure will also increase in the near future».
PD/ADB // ADB.
Lusa
