Lisbon, Sept. 9, 2025 (Lusa) - The number of passengers increased in the second quarter of the year in all modes of transport, with the train registering the most significant year-on-year growth, Statistics Portugal (INE) announced on Tuesday.
National airports handled 20.5 million passengers in the second quarter, 6.6% more than in the same period in 2024, compared to 2.4% in the first quarter of this year.
INE said that 59.2 million passengers travelled by train in the same quarter, 7.5% more than in the same period in 2024, compared to 10.2% in the first quarter of this year, and 73.9 million by metro, 0.8% more than in the same period in 2024, compared to 4.1% in the first quarter of 2025.
Passenger transport by inland waterway also increased, to 6.2 million passengers, 0.3% more than in the same quarter of 2024, compared to 1.4% in the first quarter.
Freight transport fell by road (-6.9%, compared to -3.9% in the first quarter of 2025) and by sea (-6.8%, compared to -3.9% in the first quarter of 2025) and increased by rail (+12.6%, compared to +3.9% in the first quarter of 2025) and by air (+4.6%, compared to +0.4% in the first quarter of 2025).
Passenger transport by train maintained its strong dynamism in the period under review in interurban traffic, which with 9.8 million passengers, continued to show the strong dynamism that began with the introduction of the Green Rail Pass (+97.9% compared to the same period in 2024, compared to +108.3% in the previous quarter).
In suburban traffic, 49.3 million passengers were carried, representing a 1.4% decrease compared to the same period in 2024, and a 1.3% increase compared to the previous quarter.
International traffic totalled 25,800 passengers and continued to fall (-6.6% year-on-year, compared to -19.6% in the first quarter of 2025).
Concerning air passenger transport, INE reports that it accelerated again in the second quarter, with around 70,000 aircraft landing at national airports on commercial flights (+5.6% compared to the same quarter in 2024, compared to +1.4% in the first quarter of 2025) and 20.5 million passengers (embarkations, disembarkations and direct transits), representing growth of 6.6% (compared to growth of 2.4% in the first quarter of 2025).
In the second quarter of 2025, international air traffic handled 16.9 million passengers (+6.9%), accounting for 82.3% of total traffic. International traffic accounted for 95.1% at Faro, 88.8% at Lisbon and 87.2% at Porto.
Lisbon airport accounted for 46.8% of total passenger traffic (9.6 million), an increase of 4.4% (+1.4% on the first of 2025) and Porto airport had the second highest volume of passengers handled in the country (22.8% of the total and +7.6%), reaching 4.7 million.
Cargo and mail movements totalled 65,300 tonnes, up 4.6% year-on-year, compared to +0.4% in the previous quarter.
Concerning passenger transport by metro, which recorded a slight year-on-year increase of 0.8%, there was a year-on-year decrease in April, due to the calendar effect of the Easter holiday period. In the remaining months of the period, May saw the biggest year-on-year increase (+4.8 per cent).
The Lisbon Metro carried 44.3 million passengers (-2.1% compared to the same period in 2024, compared to +1.7% in the previous quarter). Metro do Porto handled 24.4 million passengers (+7.1% year-on-year and +9.4% on the previous quarter), and Metro Sul do Tejo handled 5.1 million passengers (-1.3%; +2.0% on the previous quarter).
Concerning the movement of goods through the ports, INE states that there was a decrease, as 3,472 commercial vessels entered national ports in the second quarter, 3.7% less than in the same period in 2024, compared to a year-on-year change of -0.8% in the first quarter of this year.
Ports handled 21.6 million tonnes of goods, 6.8% less than in the same period in 2024, after the 3.9% decrease recorded in the first quarter of this year.
MC/ADB // ADB.
Lusa
