Lisbon, July 22, 2026 (Lusa) — Portugal's minister for infrastructure on Wednesday credited the internal administration minister, Luís Neves, with improving border controls at Lisbon Airport, which he had previously described as a «national embarrassment» «Today, at Lisbon Airport, waiting times at border control have been halved,» said Miguel Pinto Luz during the presentation of the airport strategy for the Lisbon region, as part of the presentation of the technical report for the new Lisbon Airport.
The minister wished to express his public gratitude to the internal administration minister, emphasising that this recognition was not a result of the current political circumstances, but a matter of justice.
«To my colleague in the Government, Luís Neves, our sincere thanks. And I say ‘our' on behalf of the Portuguese people,» he said.
Miguel Pinto Luz's praise comes at a time when Luís Neves is embroiled in a controversy relating to building work carried out on a property he owns in Odemira by the company Construbarcelos, and to a trailer seized in connection with a drug-trafficking case, which was subsequently found on the premises of the same company.
The Judicial Police have launched an inquiry into the movements of the trailer, whilst the attorney general's office has confirmed the existence of an investigation relating to assets seized as part of the so-called «Operation Pacoba».
Pinto Luz recalled that the queues and waiting times at border controls had at one point become a «national embarrassment», attributing the improvement to the work of various teams and, in particular, to the leadership and «problem-solving ability» of Luís Neves.
The difficulties were exacerbated during the roll-out of the European Union's new Entry/Exit System (EES), which replaced passport stamps with digital records and the collection of biometric data. In April, biometric data collection was suspended at Lisbon, Porto and Faro airports due to the waiting times.
To speed up the process, Lisbon Airport introduced more manual checkpoints and electronic gates, and police presence was also stepped up.
The minister for infrastructure maintained that Lisbon Airport is now functioning better and providing a more efficient service to passengers, despite the constraints caused by the ongoing work.
The minister noted that Lisbon Airport's passenger numbers had risen from around 20 million in 2012 to 36 million, a trend that has increased the pressure on infrastructure and border control services.
Pinto Luz also highlighted the growth in passenger numbers at the other domestic airports, noting that Porto had risen from just over eight million passengers to around 17 million, Faro from five to 10 million, Funchal from 2.5 to five million and Ponta Delgada from 1.5 to three million.
In the same speech, the minister rejected the suggestion that the presentation of airport investments was a propaganda exercise or an attempt to «whitewash» the last two years, arguing that the aim was to enhance transparency regarding the work carried out.
«It is an attempt to be even more transparent than we have been over the last two years,» he said, noting that Portugal is currently experiencing «the largest investments ever» in airport infrastructure.
Pinto Luz also credited Prime Minister Luís Montenegro with playing what he described as a decisive role in bringing these projects to fruition, highlighting that «he takes risks every day, delegating without hesitation, without fear, without apprehension» and is focused on «a single purpose: to serve the Portuguese people better».
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