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Lisbon airport has (finally) gone under a major re-construction which was desperately required and has eliminated the long bus journeys to and from the planes. Lisbon airport is much smaller and has a generally friendly feel than many Western Europe and  north American airports, a smile even my be seen during the security scans! English is used on all signs and most staff who work at the airport speak partial English, so there should be no issues resulting from a language barrier while in the airport.

 

Incoming planes land on the run way from the south so for flights coming in from the north eg England and France, the plane passes over Lisbon and performs a tight 180 degree turn before landing. If your seat is on the left side of the plane you may be able to see spectacular aerial views of Lisbon.

The airport of Lisbon is situated relatively close to the city centre, when compared to Charles de Gaulle, Paris and Gatwick, London and reaching the city centre can be achieved in less than 20 minutes by bus or 5minutes by taxi. A new domestic terminal building has recently opened, reducing the over crowding of the old terminal building, this terminal can be reached by a very short walk from the international arrivals.

Part of the major reconstruction was the addition of air walks to connect the planes directly with the terminal building. The challenge the architects faced was that the old terminal building was built on the south east perimeter of the airport site and all of the new construction had to build away from the terminal. This has resulted in extremely long walks from security to boarding gates or from flights to passport control and only a handful of travilators have been installed. If catching a budget flight allow plenty of time to pass security and walk to the flight gate.  

Arriving at Lisbon Airport

As Lisbon is not a major international hub there are few delays causing flights to circle above Lisbon, shame because the sky are always clear and great views of Lisbon can be seen.
The new air walks have been designed that the higher fee paying carriers are closer to passport control, while budget flights (which are the majority of flights arriving at Lisbon) are parked closer to Porto than Lisbon. It is highly recommended for older and less mobile passengers to ask for assistance on the long hike from the flight.

Signage throughout the airport is good and for European flights there are few delays for passport control. Passport control is much slower for international flights, as Lisbon and Portugal are the gate-way for many illegal immigrants from Brazil and ex African colonies. New automatic biometric passport control systems have been installed for travelers with the correct type of passport which simplifies the process even further.

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