Portuguese Government suspends use of European EES at Lisbon Humberto Delgado Airport
Portugal's Government suspended (30-Dec-2025) the new European Entry/Exit System (EES) at Lisbon Humberto Delgado Airport for three months and implemented a 30% increase in the capabilities of the external border electronic and physical equipment at the airport. The Government also expanded human resources working at the airport by "resorting to the National Republican Guard's certified capabilities in border control". The Government stated the decision is in response to "the worsening of the bottlenecks in the arrivals area at Lisbon airport with European passengers travelling from outside the Schengen area". [more - original PR]
Background ✨
Ryanair repeatedly urged Portugal's Government to address chronic staff shortages at Lisbon Humberto Delgado Airport's border control, citing delays of up to 2.5 hours during summer and autumn 2025, which it said harmed the country's reputation as a tourist destination1 2 3 4. These calls followed significant disruptions, with over 120 passengers missing flights due to border control delays in Jul-20254.