Despite having undergone major refurbishment to the tune of £27 million, one insatiably popular EU airport has been heavily criticised due to its constantly lengthy queues
Fed-up Brits have vowed to boycott a busy EU airport following severe queue chaos. There is no worse feeling than stepping off a plane, finally ready to start your holiday, only to realise you have no choice but to wait for what feels like forever to get through passport control.
It’s a gruelling experience that may soon change, after Keir Starmer unveiled a new deal with the EU that will allow UK passport holders to use e-gates at more European airports. But, for passengers landing at Faro Airport in Portugal last week (Thursday, May 15) the announcement comes a little too late.
Holidaymaker Cheryl filmed the jam-packed airport in a now-viral video posted to TikTok. It shows how swathes of tourists were forced to form long queues to get their passports stamped and exit the airport, in what she described as a ‘nightmare’.
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Hundreds of viewers flocked to the comments section, with one disgruntled traveller branding the airport ‘horrific’. “Disgraceful incompetence from Faro Airport management,” they fumed. Another agreed, commenting: “It’s an absolute joke of an airport. I was stuck for four hours with 15-month-old twins [and only] four desks were open… Never again!”
A third added: “Came back from Portugal today and won’t be going back due to this! Such a stressful airport – never again!” while a fourth argued it was the ‘worst airport’ they have ever used.
However, other viewers claimed to have a contrasting experience – with many saying they whizzed through passport control in a matter of minutes. Some state new machines have been set up already to tackle the long queues – a statement the Mirror has contacted Faro Airport to fact-check. “Faro is always hit and miss,” commented one traveller. “It’s like planes just turned up un-scheduled and caught passport control off guard.”
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In 2013, Vinci Airports acquired ANA – Aeroportos de Portugal, which held a 50-year concession contract for 10 airports in Portugal, including Faro. Four years later, the company invested a staggering €32.8 million (around £27 million) into the airport, as it started recording rapid growth.
“The extension and renovation works have increased the size of the terminal from 81,200 to 93,120 sq. metres, and thus the airport’s passenger-handling capacity from 2,400 to 3,000 people an hour,” Vinci said. “Zones dedicated to retail outlets and restaurants have been enlarged and renovated to better serve travellers’ expectations, and new security-check areas have been built to meet new airport security requirements while at the same time ensuring a smoother passage for passengers.”
Faro’s insatiable popularity is largely due to it being situated in Portugal’s Algarve region, which welcomed a staggering 5.2 million visitors last year. Albuferia, one of the most popular cities in the Algarve, is just 37 minutes away from the airport.
The Mirror has contacted Faro Airport for comment.
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