Lisbon, Jan. 6, 2026 (Lusa) - A total of 60 PSP police officers began a course on Tuesday on air border control to reinforce Lisbon airport from the end of February, the police announced today.
According to the Public Security Police, the course, which will run until 22 February, consists of two classes of 30 trainees each, totalling 60 police officers, who already have border guard training.
The PSP states that the course will cover topics related to air border control, such as human trafficking, security documentation, risk analysis, asylum and foreign nationals' rights, equipping PSP police officers with "the knowledge and skills necessary to carry out border controls".
A PSP source told Lusa that the 60 police officers will undergo training in the fifth week of the course at Lisbon airport, where they will be stationed.
The PSP also indicates that this course is part of the human resources training action plan resulting from the entry into operation of the European Entry/Exit System (EES) in April 2026, comprising 10 training courses to train 500 police officers assigned to all airports that constitute air borders in 2026.
A PSP source also told Lusa that there are no longer any waiting times at Lisbon airport since the suspension of the European border control system for non-EU citizens.
This system was suspended at Lisbon airport a week ago for three months to reduce queues. It will be reactivated at the end of March, very close to the date when the EES will be fully operational throughout the European Union.
Another contingency measure announced by the government at Lisbon airport was the reinforcement of GNR military personnel, with 24 trained as border guards starting work today.
Lisbon airport was also reinforced with 80 PSP officers during the Christmas and New Year period due to long waiting times.
A PSP source said that this reinforcement will continue and stressed that today "it is clear" that there are "more PSP police officers working at the airport's Border Control Station than there are service counters available".
The PSP also points out that Lisbon airport management "only provides" 16 service counters in arrivals and 14 in departures, in addition to the “e-gates” (biometric gates).
The new European border control system for non-EU citizens came into operation on 12 October in Portugal and the other Schengen countries. Since then, waiting times have worsened, particularly at Lisbon airport, where passengers have sometimes had to wait several hours.
This situation prompted the government to establish an emergency task force at the end of October to manage the crisis.
Since 10 December, the second phase has been underway with the collection of biometric data, which consists of obtaining photographs and fingerprints of passengers, further complicating the situation.
With the suspension of the EES computer system, passengers from outside the Schengen area, who do not belong to the European area of free movement of persons and goods and who need to pass through border controls, are once again being checked by the old system, which involves reading their passport and, often, manually stamping it to record their entry/exit, with officers verifying their identity and length of stay. Biometric data is not currently being collected.
CMP/ADB // ADB.
Lusa
