The Portuguese Tourism Confederation (CTP) today expressed itself “very concerned” about the problems of delays and long queues at Lisbon airport and wants clarification from the Minister of Internal Administration.
CTP said, in a statement, that it is “in permanent contact with the Government, and a meeting has already been scheduled with the Minister of Internal Administration to demand clarification on what is happening at Lisbon airport, particularly due to the flaws in the new European automated border control system”.
The confederation that represents companies in the tourism sector reiterated that these “constant” problems at Humberto Delgado Airport, in Lisbon, which have been recurring since May, “put into question the image of national tourism in particular and the country in general”.
CTP highlighted that its concern has “increased in recent days, taking into account the problems experienced at Lisbon and Faro airports, with long queues and waiting times”.
A first phase of the new European system for automated control of external borders (Entry/Exit System (EES)) came into force on October 12, without yet collecting biometric data from all travelers from outside the Schengen Area, which is scheduled to begin at the end of November.
According to the CTP, two days later, a Tuesday, the day with the highest flow of extra-community passengers, “failures in equipment and the lack of resources by the border police once again caused chaos at Lisbon airport”.