The ASPP/PSP has expressed concerns regarding reported pressures from ANA – Aeroportos de Portugal on the Public Security Police and the government to ease border controls at Lisbon Airport in an effort to reduce wait times.
The PSP union criticized the government for potentially yielding to the interests of a private company whose sole objective is profit growth, especially when the administration has prioritized immigration control.
ASPP/PSP stated that it is “technically impossible” to maintain the security and control levels required by the Schengen Regulations while speeding up passenger flow at Lisbon Airport without endangering the broader European community.
The union supports the recent statements from its Spanish counterpart: “While Aena seeks profits, we take responsibility for the most important task — ensuring safety and fulfilling commitments under European regulations. Simply replacing ‘Aena’ with ‘ANA’ reveals the same conflict of interest at Lisbon Airport.
The union warned that police officers working at the borders are exhausted due to an unprecedented volume of passengers, which continues to rise.
“Every day, ASPP/PSP receives requests for help from desperate officers, not only from members,” it noted, highlighting that despite this, the strategy to attract more passengers to already saturated infrastructure persists.
ASPP/PSP noted a lack of recognition and financial compensation for these officers and emphasized its commitment to preventing private operators from interfering in essential public services, particularly concerning national security and the Schengen Area.
