Portugal to suspend airport biometric checks as border queues lengthen

Portugal's border police reported that on Saturday up to 53,768 passengers were processed at national airports, with wait times reaching 60 minutes at Porto and 47 minutes at Lisbon. The PSP recorded five entry refusals, 28 interceptions and 11 precautionary measures, and announced the deployment of 48 additional officers at Lisbon’s Humberto Delgado airport, later expanding to 360 border guards.

The European Commission confirmed that Portugal may partially suspend the collection of biometric data at airports under the EU Entry/Exit System when excessive delays occur, a provision that can be used until September. Ministers highlighted that the reinforcement of staff and the addition of e‑gates reduced queue times by about 50% at Lisbon during the peak morning period. The suspension can be applied at specific border points for limited periods to ensure smoother passenger flow during summer travel peaks.