Portugal's airlines urge flexible border controls as summer travel surges

EasyJet has asked the Portuguese government to apply flexibility to the Entry/Exit System (EES) during the busy summer months, warning that long queues at airports are causing passengers to miss flights and potentially avoid the country in the future. The airline cited examples such as Greece’s temporary suspension of EES for British travelers and highlighted the economic importance of tourism to Portugal, noting that delays can increase processing times from one minute to several minutes for passengers from the UK, Brazil or African nations. EasyJet also called for accelerated staffing measures, referencing the recent addition of 360 border agents and extra manual control booths at Lisbon’s Humberto Delgado airport.

Separately, Qatar Airways resumed flights between Lisbon and Doha, offering seven weekly services as part of a broader expansion of its European network. The carrier noted rising load factors of 3‑5% per week and a strong surge in leisure travel demand to destinations such as Japan, Australia and Thailand, reflecting a wider recovery in long‑haul, non‑essential travel.