Portuguese Airports Saw 3.9% Passenger Growth in Q1 2026

Portuguese airports experienced a 3.9% year-on-year increase in passenger numbers during the first quarter of 2026, with a total of 14.5 million travelers passing through, according to provisional data from the National Statistics Institute (INE).

International traffic constituted the bulk of this figure, with 12 million passengers, marking a 4.7% rise compared to the previous year and accounting for 82.8% of all air travel. Faro and Porto airports saw the highest proportion of international travelers, at 90.7% and 87% respectively.

Lisbon Airport remained the busiest hub, handling 7.9 million passengers, a 3.1% increase from the same period in 2025. In contrast, other public transport sectors showed mixed results. Rail transport saw a slight increase of 0.8% with 57.6 million passengers, while river transport declined by 3.1% to 5.1 million. Metro usage also dropped by 2.2% to 69.3 million passengers.

Freight transport across all modes experienced a downturn, with road freight falling by 12.7% and maritime freight by 6.5% year-on-year, indicating a slowdown in goods movement.