Border Cops' Early-Morning Assembly Sparks Passport Chaos at Lisbon Airport

Police Union Holds Early‐Morning Meeting at Lisbon Airport to Expose Dire Working Conditions

Lisbon — Travellers passing through Humberto Delgado Airport on Tuesday morning faced unusually long passport queues after the Association of Police Professionals (ASPP/PSP) gathered officers for a four-hour workplace assembly aimed at highlighting what it calls “unbearable” conditions in airport border control.

Union leaders met with rank-and-file members between 07:00 and 11:00 inside the border-control squad room while other representatives distributed leaflets outside, apologising to passengers and explaining the reasons for the delays. The action was timed for a day with a heavy schedule of flights to and from non-Schengen countries, ensuring the impact would be visible.

Why Officers Say the Situation Is “Unsustainable”

• Workload Explosion — Responsibility for airport border checks shifted from the now-defunct Immigration and Borders Service (SEF) to the Public Security Police (PSP) two years ago, effectively doubling the number of travellers PSP officers must process.

• Problem-Prone Entry/Exit System — The new EU Entry/Exit System (EES) is still plagued by software glitches, especially in Lisbon and Faro, slowing every inspection and forcing staff to revert to manual checks.

• Chronic Staff Shortages — About 380 PSP officers currently staff Portugal’s three largest airports, well below the 700 originally promised, according to union data.

• Unpaid Overtime & Lost Allowances — Officers complain that extra hours accumulate without compensation and that the specialised “airport allowance” once granted to SEF inspectors has not been extended to PSP personnel.

• Signs of Burnout — Sick leave and stress-related absences are rising, and many officers report difficulty scheduling basic holiday time.

• Poor Facilities — In September, the union documented rats, exposed wiring and inadequate sanitation in police areas of Lisbon Airport, problems it says remain unresolved.

• Misinformation on Waiting Times — ASPP/PSP accuses airport authorities of under-reporting actual queue lengths to downplay structural failings.

Government Acknowledges the Bottlenecks

Infrastructure Minister Miguel Pinto Luz recently admitted that persistent lines at passport control harm Portugal’s reputation. In late October, the cabinet created a permanent passenger-flow task force headed by national PSP director Luís Carrilho. The group includes senior officials from the Interior and Infrastructure ministries, airport operator ANA, the civil-aviation regulator and the Internal Security System.

Key goals and promises:

Faster Processing — Reduce the average arrival wait from 30 to 20 minutes and departures from 20 to 15 minutes; bring maximum waits down to 55 and 25 minutes, respectively.

More Personnel — Deploy extra PSP officers this winter and launch a 100-day recruitment and training plan.

Keep Ex-SEF Experts on the Line — Extend until April 2026 the temporary assignment of former SEF inspectors, now in the Judicial Police, to maintain expertise while new PSP staff are trained.

Boost Automation — Expand the number of e-gates and traditional control booths to increase capacity.

How the SEF Shutdown Led to Today’s Crunch

The SEF was disbanded in October 2023 to separate police and administrative roles. Airport border checks moved to the PSP, while other SEF duties were divided among the GNR, Judicial Police, a new migration agency (AIMA) and the civil registry.

The transition has been rocky. In January 2024 just 265 PSP officers were assigned full-time to border posts; the target is 1,000. Despite new courses, only about 380 officers were in place by October 2025, and a shortage of certified FRONTEX trainers has slowed further progress.

Activity figures underscore the pressure:

• 2024: 20.2 million passengers screened; 1,889 refused entry; 716 document-fraud cases detected.

• First half of 2025: 9.5 million passengers screened; 1,251 refusals; 314 document-fraud cases.

What Passengers Should Expect

ASPP/PSP warns that additional protests—including possible work-to-rule actions—could take place during the busy Christmas travel season if no deal is reached on staffing levels, overtime pay and an airport-specific allowance.

Travellers are therefore advised to factor in extra time for border formalities until a lasting solution is implemented.