Faro Airport Hits 10M Travelers, Adds Six International Routes & Cuts Emissions

A handful of figures can change an entire region’s outlook: 10 million passengers, 6 new international routes and an 80% cut in airport emissions. Those milestones, all reached this year at Faro’s Gago Coutinho Airport, are reshaping the Algarve’s tourism calendar, labour market and even its carbon footprint.

Quick Glance

Record traffic

Passenger volume is up 6% in 2024, topping 10 million for the first time.

Fresh destinations

Direct flights now link Faro to Newark, Helsinki, Reykjavik, Funchal, Riga and Kraków.

Bigger airline family

33 carriers operate at the airport after four newcomers joined.

Winter surge

Cold-season traffic has more than doubled since 2015, easing the Algarve’s seasonality.

Green drive

Scope 1 & 2 emissions have dropped over 80%, helped by a 3 MW solar plant that powers 30% of the terminal.

Why locals should care

For residents, the jump to double-digit millions is more than an aviation statistic. It translates into steady year-round jobs, fuller restaurants between November and March, and stronger bargaining power for regional exporters who rely on belly-hold cargo. With the UK still accounting for 46% of arrivals, Faro remains a direct gateway for the Algarve’s largest customer base, yet the rise of Germany, Ireland, France and the Netherlands diversifies risk and encourages new cultural exchanges.

New routes redraw the map

The 2025 summer timetable put six pins on the world map that never existed from Faro before. A daily United Airlines service to Newark shaves hours off connections to the eastern United States. Finnair’s Helsinki flight opens a Nordic corridor just as Portuguese surf schools court Scandinavian travellers. Budget carrier Play links Reykjavik, a niche yet affluent market, while Air Baltic’s Riga route and Ryanair’s Kraków flight tap into Central-European city-break demand. Closer to home, TAP’s Funchal shuttle answers a long-standing request from Madeiran and Algarvian diaspora. These links pushed the tally to 22 countries and 77 destinations, making Faro Portugal’s second-best-connected airport after Lisbon.

A winter without hibernation

The Algarve used to ‘close for renovation’ once the last October golfers flew home. Not anymore. The 2024-25 winter season was the busiest on record, consolidating a decade-long strategy by tourism boards and ANA – the national airport operator – to spread visitor numbers across all twelve months. Charter golf specials, digital-nomad visas and mild Atlantic weather have helped winter traffic grow 2.1× since 2015. Hoteliers report fewer layoffs, and councils see steadier tax revenue for public services.

Green ambitions behind the growth

Growth could ring hollow in an age of climate anxiety, yet Faro’s operator points to concrete moves. The airport holds ACA 4+ carbon accreditation, the highest level under ACI’s programme. LED lighting across the apron, an electric ground-service fleet and self-service bag-drop units powered by renewable electricity have driven energy savings. The 3 MWp solar farm installed in 2022 now supplies roughly one-third of the terminal’s needs, avoiding more than 1 500 t of CO₂ annually. A €17.5 M roof-replacement project, under a network-wide “UPGRADE” plan by VINCI Airports, integrates insulated panels and photovoltaic tiles to cut cooling demand during the Algarve’s scorching summers.

What 2026 could bring

Forecasts from ANA suggest 10.2 M travellers next year, a modest 1.7% rise, as the aviation sector stabilises after the post-pandemic rebound. Passengers will notice a marginal €0.34 increase in airport charges, earmarked for further electrification of vehicles and “APU-off” equipment that lets parked aircraft switch off their fossil-fuel generators. Biometric boarding gates are set to debut by Easter, and retail shifts toward local Algarve brands as concession contracts come up for renewal.

Snapshot: traffic evolution 2015-2025

Year | Total passengers (M)---- | ------------------2015 | 6.12017 | 8.72019 | 9+2021 | Pandemic slump2024 | 9.82025 | 10.0

The curve reveals the airport’s crucial role in dragging the region out of crisis: every inbound seat supports hotel occupancy, restaurant covers and even tech-hub recruitment drives in Faro city. As Gago Coutinho Airport turns 60, the challenge shifts from hitting new records to managing them sustainably — a balance the Algarve, with its fragile Ria Formosa wetlands and tourism-powered GDP, cannot afford to ignore.