The number of passport control gates is set to increase at Faro Airport. This comes as part of plans to reduce waiting times and to improve passport control at airports across Portugal. Faro Airport will receive 16 new passport control gates, with 10 more being planned for Funchal Airport and one additional gate in Porto. Although the full details have not yet been released, it is expected that there will be a total of 49 new generation e-passport control gates added across Portugal.
The new passport control gates are equiped “with a faster and more functional operating system able to process passports with biometric data more quickly”.
These new e-gates have already been implemented at Lisbon’s Humberto Delegado Airport in July. Since then, the airport has seen waiting times reduced to less than 10 minutes – a welcome improvement for both passengers and airports alike.
According to Isabel Oneto, Assistant Secretary for Home Affairs, “These are the best waiting times since records began. In July the average waiting time for passengers was less than 10 minutes both at the entrances and exits.” She also commented that the success at Humberto Delegado Airport was due to an increase in SEF staff numbers. SEF (Serviço de Estrangeiros e Fronteiras) is the Immigration and Borders Service operating at airports throughout the country.
Keep an eye on our website for more news and updates on Faro Airport. We also have plenty of information on everything at Faro Airport, including passenger services, car hire details and more to help you plan ahead.
