Lisbon Portela Airport is Portugal's largest air harbor. In connection with the ever-growing passenger flow, the country's authorities had to decide on the construction of a new airport in Alcocet, also part of the Lisbon municipality. It should be noted that most tourists from around the world (including our compatriots) use the Portela air harbor as a docking point on their way to southern countries or Brazil. Today we offer a closer look at this airport.
Lisbon Airport: scheme, general information
The largest port of Portugal, Portela, began operations in October 1942. Today, this airport includes three terminals. Two of them are passenger, and one is military (it is called “Figo Madura”). Portela has two runways with a length of 3805 and 2400 meters. The width of each of them is 45 meters.
Lisbon Airport (website www.ana.pt) annually serves more than fifteen million passengers, most of whom are transit passengers. The air harbor is owned by the state-owned company ANA. Portela is also the base for the Portuguese national air carrier, TAP Portuguese. The main part of its flights, TAP operates in Africa and Latin America. Many transit passengers use Lisbon Airport as a transit point on their way to Brazil (most often to Rio de Janeiro), as well as to the Azores and Madeira.
Information for transit passengers
If you are planning a flight with a docking in Portela air harbor, you should carefully select a schedule and make sure that there is enough time in reserve. So, if you have arrived to dock at Lisbon airport from a country outside the Schengen area, and then intend to go not to the Schengen state again, then you will need to go through the passport control and registration procedure for the next flight again.
If, in the case of your connection, the next flight is operated by Easy Jet, then passengers arriving at the airport will not only have to go through passport control, but also pick up their luggage, leave the air harbor building and arrive at Terminal No. 2 by shuttle. Additional information about transfer passengers can always get necessary actions at information desks at the airport.
In addition to these subtleties, the Lisbon airport may be a little inconvenient for passengers whose flights connect at night. The fact is that from 12 a.m. to 6 a.m. the passage to the transit zone is closed. Accordingly, people do not have access to the shops and cafes located there. Therefore, transfer passengers who find themselves in the Lisbon air harbor at night, can only be content with drinks and chocolate from vending machines.
Services
Lisbon Airport has a fairly large area, which allowed to place on its territory a variety of shops, including duty free, souvenir shops, as well as shops specializing in the sale of Portuguese wines, cheeses and sausages.
For the youngest travelers, there is a playground and slot machines. This will allow passengers with children to take their children while waiting for the next flight.
For mothers with babies in the Portela, there are rooms for mother and child, where you can feed or swaddle your child in a relaxed atmosphere. Throughout the airport, free access to the official website of the air harbor is available, where you can check the information about the flight you are interested in. There is a service and paid access to the Internet. Also on the territory of "Portels" there are rooms with computers for general use.
As at any other major airport, there are car rental offices, travel agencies, restaurants, cafes and bars, as well as bank and post offices. In addition, Portela provides conference hall, business center and VIP room services.
Lisbon Airport: how to get there
There are three options for getting to Portela Air Harbor and getting from it to the city center: taxi, shuttle and bus. We will not consider the taxi option in detail, since it is expensive (on average, the road will cost you 30 euros).
Buses
On the route "Airport-City Center" every half hour from seven o'clock in the morning until eleven o'clock in the evening there are yellow buses No. 22 and minibuses Carris. Keep in mind that if you are traveling with heavy luggage, then it just might not fit in a minibus. If you are not sure which stop you need to go to, it does not matter, because lately, displays have appeared in public transport in Lisbon with information about the next stop and the hotels nearby.
shuttle
The AeroBus shuttle is considered the best option for traveling to or from the airport. Its advantages include regularity, comfort and the presence of large cameras for carrying luggage. Tickets can be purchased directly from the driver. For an adult passenger, you will need to pay 3.5 euros, and for a child aged 4 to 10 years - two euros.