The number of air passengers travelling to Portugal rose by 5.2% in the first half of 2024, new data from the Portuguese statistics office (INE) has found.
In addition, the movement of freight and mail by air into Portugal increased by 13.2% in the period.
The UK was the main country of origin and destination of flights into Portugal, the data showed, with increases in the percentage of passengers both disembarked (+2.5%) and embarked (+2.9%) compared to the same period a year ago.
Passenger numbers were also higher from France and Spain, INE said.
Passenger numbers in Portugal
In June 2024 alone, national airports across Portugal handled 6.7 million passengers and 20.3 thousand tonnes of freight and mail, reflecting year-on-year increases of 5.6% and 13.4%, respectively, compared to June 2023.
The first half of 2024 saw record-breaking monthly passenger numbers at the country’s airports, with June alone witnessing an average of nearly 113,000 passengers disembarking daily.
This figure represents a 5.5% increase from the 107,000 daily passengers recorded in June 2023.
Tourism numbers rise in June
Elsewhere, separate INE data found that Portugal’s tourism industry saw an increase in overnight stays in June 2024, compared to the same period last year.
Portugal’s tourism accommodation sector welcomed three million guests in June 2024, a 6.7% increase from the previous year, and recording 7.8 million overnight stays, up by 4.8%.
This growth in activity generated total revenue of €698.0 million, a notable increase of 12.7%, with revenue from accommodation also rising by 12.7% to €541.0 million.
Lisbon was a key destination in the sector, accounting for 18.0% of all overnight stays.
