According to statistics on transport activities released today by the National Institute of Statistics (INE), national airports handled approximately 14 million passengers in the first quarter, an increase of 2.4% year-on-year, following a 4.1% growth in the previous quarter.
The Lisbon airport accounted for 54.6% of total passenger traffic (7.6 million), marking a 1.4% increase, followed by Porto airport, which reached 3.2 million passengers (23% of the total; +2.6%).
Faro airport recorded 1.2 million passengers (8.9% of the total, +4.0%), Madeira airport had 1.1 million passengers (+7.2%), and Ponta Delgada in the Azores saw a 4.0% increase, reaching 450,200 passengers.
In the first quarter, 57.1 million passengers traveled by train, representing a 10.2% increase compared to the same period last year, and 71.0 million passengers used the metro, corresponding to a 4.1% rise.
INE highlighted the increase in intercity traffic, which more than doubled in the first quarter to 9.0 million passengers, “reflecting the introduction of the Green Railway Pass (+52.7% in the previous quarter).”
Passenger transport via ferry grew 1.4% compared to the same period last year, reaching 5.3 million passengers.
Regarding freight transport, decreases were recorded by road (-2.8%) and sea (-3.9%), with increases in rail (+3.9%) and air (+0.4%) between January and March.
National ports handled 19.5 million tons of goods, a 3.9% year-on-year decline, including 9.8 million in the port of Sines (-8.1%).
Goods transported through the port of Leixões decreased by 0.5%, and fell by 7.8% at the port of Setúbal. Conversely, they increased by 4.5% at the port of Lisbon and 3.3% at the port of Aveiro.
During the analyzed period, gas pipeline transport decreased compared to the same period in 2024, both in entry (-5.3%) and exit (-5.3%), while oil pipeline transport showed a 0.6% increase, reaching 747,800 tons.
