Portugal’s airports smashed passenger record in 2024; Lisbon passed 35 million for first time

ANA Aeroportos de Portugal is the country’s airport manager, a VINCI Airports’ concession. It runs 10 airports, with Lisbon, Porto, Faro, Funchal, Ponta Delgada and Horta being the six busiest facilities. Traffic at these six airports totalled 68.6 million passengers in 2024, up 4% from the prior record in 2023 and 17% from 2019. Passenger numbers have doubled since 2010 making Portugal one of the most dynamic European markets in the post-COVID era.

All six airports had record-breaking volumes. Lisbon welcomed an additional 1.4 million passengers (+4% versus 2023), surpassing 35 million for the first time. Second airport in traffic volume in Portugal, Porto airport just missed the 16 million passenger mark in 2024 (15.9 million) but shows growth of nearly 22% since 2019.

On a percentage basis, the much smaller Ponta Delgada, in the Azores, grew by 11% vs 2023 the highest of the six facilities representing a 35% increase vs 2019.  Compared to 2019 Madeira’s main airport, Funchal’s traffic rose by 50% as an illustration of the booming success of the Portuguese islands.  Faro, long renowned as a summer destination had its best winter on record providing the untapped yet existing potential of the Algarve in winter.

Portugal is today the 9th largest air market in Europe by number of seats, driven by a 12% increase in international tourism compared to 2019, a 77% rise in foreign residents and the country’s economic prosperity which has made it Europe’s second fastest growing economy.

This growth has resulted in multiple infrastructure projects. Lisbon will has gained a €233 million in investment, including 10 boarding bridges, more gates and terminal refurbishment. Porto has €50 million to refurbish the runway, while Porto Santo’s new terminal will double capacity. Ponta Delgada and Horta will have refurbished terminals.

105 routes added since 2019; considerable North American growth

ANA airports had 827 routes in 2024, up from 722 in 2019. Porto, the country’s second most populous city, added the most (+41).

In S25, TAP will begin Porto-Boston, while Air Canada will return. While its lower-cost unit, Rouge, served Porto from Toronto in 2018 and 2019, Air Canada mainline will begin Montreal service. Porto’s long-haul network will rise to seven destinations.

When all of Porto’s network is considered, frequencies on full-service operators have risen by 28% (excluding TAP). In addition to Air Canada, other recent FSC airline additions include Air Serbia (2023), Austrian (2023), El Al (returned in 2023) and SAS (2023).

Portugal’s North American capacity has grown significantly, with seats in 2024 being 61% above what was available in 2019. All Lisbon routes by the five North American operators are now year-round.

In 2025 United Airlines will become the first North American operator to fly to five Portuguese airports. Joining Lisbon and Porto was Ponta Delgada (in 2022), with Funchal (Madeira) and Faro coming in S25. It will be Faro’s first US route and the first time a North American carrier has served Funchal.