Major move at holiday hotspot could mean quicker airport queues for Brits
A very busy airport popular with British holidaymakers will start using e-gates for UK arrivals this week.
In a major boost for British passport holding tourists, Faro Airport in Portugal will begin the rollout of e-gate access to UK arrivals this week, the minister for EU relations has said.
UK passport holders will be able to use the e-gates at all Portugese airports that have them installed, which are Lisbon, Porto, Faro and Funchal airports.
Taking a question about steps 'to improve relations with the EU', Nick Thomas–Symonds – a minister in the Cabinet Office – told the Commons: 'The historic deal that we signed with the EU on May 19 is in our national interests – good for bills, borders and jobs. It slashes red tape and bureaucracy, boosts British exporters and makes life easier for holidaymakers. Indeed, I'm delighted to confirm this morning that Faro Airport in Portugal will start the rollout of e-gate access to UK arrivals this week.'
The sunshine destination is to become the first country to allow UK passport holders to use the system since Sir Keir Starmer struck a deal with Brussels last month.
In recent weeks, images have emerged of long queues of passengers from countries outside the Schengen Area at Faro and Lisbon airports, waiting for several hours for immigration control.
The issues were having a big impact on tired holidaymakers and airport workers. Last week, the Police Professionals' Union Association in Portugal warned that Immigration and Borders Unit staff faced exhaustion due to the intense workloads they were wading through.
For both UK arrivals and those from EU countries who have been able to use the e-gates, Faro Airport has become something of an obstacle course.
Edward Carter, a regular traveller from England to Portugal, was swept up in lengthy queues last month. 'The delay was unacceptable, affecting as it did, so many people with special assistance needs, senior citizens and also families with small children. In the area of the queue there was inadequate access to toilets and no water, which would have affected vulnerable travellers with health issues for example," he told the Portugal Resident.
"I was told that Faro is the only airport in Portugal where these delays are suffered and the issue seems to be down to lack of management planning and organisation. The tourist industry is going to be adversely affected if passengers face delays like this and no-one admits responsibility."
James Brooks, a British property owner in the Algarve, told the publication that he was going to sell his holiday let in the region because of difficulties getting through the airport.
Holiday-goer Cheryl captured the overcrowded airport in a now-viral TikTok video. The clip depicts hordes of tourists compelled to form lengthy queues to get their passports stamped and exit the airport, a situation she dubbed as a 'nightmare'.
"Faro is always hit and miss," remarked one holidaymaker. "It's like planes just turned up unscheduled and caught passport control off guard."
Back in 2013, Vinci Airports took over ANA – Aeroportos de Portugal, which was responsible for managing 10 Portuguese airports, including Faro, under a 50-year concession. Fast forward four years, and the company splashed out an eye-watering €32.8 million (about £27 million) on the airport as it began to see a surge in growth. That growth, which has also meant a rise in passenger numbers, has caused issues.
Vinci announced: "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. 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 popularity is due to its location in Portugal's beautiful, sun-drenched Algarve region, which attracted a whopping 5.2 million tourists last year. Albuferia, one of the Algarve's most frequented cities, is a mere 37 minutes' drive from the airport.
Around 2.5 million people from the UK travel to Portugal each year with more with 300,000 heading to the Algarve. Around 50,000 Brits live in the country.
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Customers experience difficulties collecting online purchases and returning items due to system issues. Initial reports emerge on social media of problems with contactless payments and click-and-collect services at M&S stores across the UK. Customers experience difficulties collecting online purchases and returning items due to system issues. Monday, April 21: Problems with contactless payments and click-and-collect persist. M&S officially acknowledges the "cyber incident" in a statement to the London Stock Exchange. CEO Stuart Machin apologises for the disruption and confirms "minor, temporary changes" to store operations. M&S notifies the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) and the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) and engages external cybersecurity experts. Problems with contactless payments and click-and-collect persist. M&S officially acknowledges the "cyber incident" in a statement to the London Stock Exchange. CEO Stuart Machin apologises for the disruption and confirms "minor, temporary changes" to store operations. M&S notifies the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) and the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) and engages external cybersecurity experts. Tuesday, April 22: Disruptions continue. M&S takes further systems offline as part of "proactive management". Disruptions continue. M&S takes further systems offline as part of "proactive management". Wednesday, April 23: Despite earlier claims of customer-facing systems returning to normal, M&S continues to adjust operations to maintain security. Contactless payments are initially restored, but other services, including click-and-collect, remain affected. Despite earlier claims of customer-facing systems returning to normal, M&S continues to adjust operations to maintain security. Contactless payments are initially restored, but other services, including click-and-collect, remain affected. Thursday, April 24: Contactless payments and click-and-collect services are still unavailable. Reports surface suggesting the attackers possibly gained access to data in February. Contactless payments and click-and-collect services are still unavailable. Reports surface suggesting the attackers possibly gained access to data in February. Friday, April 25: M&S suspends all online and app orders in the UK and Ireland for clothing and food, although customers can still browse products. This decision leads to a 5% drop in M&S's share price. M&S suspends all online and app orders in the UK and Ireland for clothing and food, although customers can still browse products. This decision leads to a 5% drop in M&S's share price. Monday, April 28: M&S is still unable to process online orders. Around 200 agency workers at the main distribution centre are told to stay home. M&S is still unable to process online orders. Around 200 agency workers at the main distribution centre are told to stay home. Tuesday, April 29: Information suggests that the hacker group Scattered Spider is likely behind the attack. Shoppers spot empty shelves in selected stores. Information suggests that the hacker group Scattered Spider is likely behind the attack. Shoppers spot empty shelves in selected stores. Tuesday, May 13: M&S revealed that some customer information has been stolen. M&S revealed that some customer information has been stolen. Wednesday, May 21: The retailer said disruption from the attack is expected to continue through to July. The retailer said disruption from the attack is expected to continue through to July. It's thought the worker was among the victims hacked. The company had previously said it is investigating if it was a gateway for the cyber attack. It has since informed the BBC the email was not sent from its system and had nothing to do with the security breach. M&S has declined to comment on the latest revelations. A spokesperson for the company told The Sun Online: 'We cannot comment on details of or speculation on the cyber incident, and we have been advised not to.'
