According to EU Helpers, passport screenings at all Portuguese ports of entry and departure have been handled by police forces since October 29.
Arriving travelers no longer regularly describe instances of mayhem at the airport—especially in contrast to previous policies that resulted in some travelers being sick from prolonged waits.
When SEF ceased to oversee passport checks, travelers reacted largely pleasantly. By the evening of the first day that police assumed charge of border control, 79 planes and 13,128 people had been checked at the Portuguese airport.
The least amount of time had been spent waiting since Faro Airport opened: an average of ten minutes.
More good news: the airport recently revealed the establishment of the first direct flight route between Faro and the US, which is becoming into a significant market for the Algarve.
Carneiro claims that more police officers will be sent to complete their tasks. Approximately 2,500 additional agents were admitted to the PSP and GNR police last year, demonstrating the seriousness with which the authorities are handling the needs and demands of passengers.
The minister added that an additional 1,500 police officers will be accepted, of whom 580 have just completed their training and the remaining 500 will begin in November.
However, although the average waiting time for passengers at Lisbon Airport was greater at thirty minutes, it was still one-third shorter than the average waiting time between midnight and ten in the morning.
Additionally, Carneiro emphasized that security personnel at Portuguese airports are fully operative and working together to provide the best possible service.
Since SEF is no longer handling border security-related operations, it will also cease handling tasks involving the issuing of documents to foreign nationals since the creation of the new Agency for Integration, Migration, and Asylum (AIMA). AIMA will also assume the responsibilities of the High Commissioner for Migration, having taken on around 300,000 pending cases from SEF related to immigration legalization.