Faro Airport registers “higher pressure” in the collection of biometric data

ANDm interview with Lusa, the deputy national director of the PSP and responsible for the National Foreign and Border Unit (UNEF) of PSP, Chief Superintendent João Ribeiro, said that at the moment the collection of biometric data at 100% is going on “fluid way” in all airports, “except for Faro that is with the greatest pressure”.

According to the person responsible, a passenger took a long time at Lisbon airport, when there was the possibility of suspending biometrics, between five and 15 minutes, is currently taking between 15 and 30 minutes.

“What is quite acceptable. The great pressure is at Faro Airport, a fact of a set of factors, but we are trying to minimize that impact to the maximum ", sustained.

João Ribeiro explained that at Faro airport there have been factors that eventually affect, specifying: “Be climate issues, be delays in air traffic that bring certain peaks together, as was the case yesterday [Thursday], in which, in 25 minutes, we had more than 10 flights to land, with a large number of passengers, essentially British, and which therefore caused pressure on the border.”.

Since September 6, Portuguese airports have started collecting biometric data (such as photographs and fingerprints) to 100% of passengers arriving in Portugal from countries outside the Schengen area or the European Union.

The collection of biometric data is part of the European Union's Entry/Exit System (EES), which entered into operation in October 2025 in a phased manner and it is possible until now to suspend this collection when there were queues in passenger control.

The constraints at airports, especially in Lisbon, were visible for several months this year, with passengers having to wait several hours, a situation that has reversed since the end of May with the strengthening of human and technical resources.

“ It was important three factors: the investment that was made in terms of technology, the rearrangement of airport areas in terms of what the passenger flow is and also the operational reinforcement that we had in terms of training human resources,” he said, referring to the 360 elements that were placed at the air borders.

Although the collection of biometric data is working at 100%, UNEF’s manager advanced to Lusa that the European Commission has given the possibility of not applying biometrics by December when there are technological problems, taking into account that some EU countries are still creating the conditions to ensure EES.

“ It was given the possibility, not of suspension in the old concept, but of being able, at certain times, more by technological pressure and, while the different states do not have this total capacity, of power, in practical terms, not to apply biometrics when there are technological problems ", it has advanced.

Although there were no constraints in the summer months, the Deputy National Director of PSP stated that it is not possible to guarantee “in absolute terms” that the problems at airports will not return, as they depend on several factors, namely technology, from a national and European perspective, and human resources.

“Absolute guarantee cannot be given, although all measures are taken to minimize this,” he stressed, adding that the PSP looks with “a lot of security” due to “all the investment that has been made in human resources and technological means.”.

UNEF invested in human resources last year, currently working in airport security and border control at 1,504 police airports, 706 of which in Lisbon, 325 in Porto, 215 in Faro, 115 in Madeira, 124 in the Azores and 19 in Beja.

Despite this reinforcement, the UNEF official considered that at the moment they are “80% of the recommended capacity”, it is now necessary to invest in “more technical” human resources with capabilities to detect false documents and to anticipate and anticipate migratory risks.

“It’s a more technical bet, more specialization than human resources. At the moment we are comfortable”, he said.