During the period from July to September, national airports handled 22.5 million passengers, marking a 4.6% increase year-on-year, yet falling short of the 6.6% growth observed in the previous quarter, as per the latest transportation activity statistics released by INE.
The Lisbon Airport accounted for 45.4% of the total passenger movement, equating to 10.2 million passengers, representing a 2.4% increase. This was followed by Porto Airport, which saw 5.1 million passengers (22.6% of the total, up by 6.3%).
In Faro, there was a movement of 3.9 million passengers (17.1% of the total, up by 5.0%), while Funchal Airport handled 1.6 million passengers and Ponta Delgada managed 1.0 million passengers.
In the third quarter of this year, 62.5 million passengers traveled by train, marking a 14.3% increase compared to the same period last year, while metro services saw 69.4 million passengers, corresponding to a 1.7% rise.
These year-on-year increases surpassed those recorded in the previous quarter, where increases of 7.5% and 0.8% were observed.
INE highlighted the growth of intercity traffic, which accounted for 10.1 million passengers, more than doubling the volume recorded a year earlier, and maintaining “strong growth in all quarters of 2025 following the introduction of the Green Railway Pass.”
After a 6.6% decrease in the second quarter, international rail traffic transport decreased again in the third quarter by 9.8%, with 37,200 passengers transported.
Passenger transport via ferry fell by 0.2% compared to the same period last year, reaching 7.9 million passengers, with the Terreiro do Paço to Barreiro route noting a 1.8% decrease, handling 2.8 million passengers.
Regarding freight transport, INE indicated declines in road (-5.3%) and air transport (-0.1%), alongside increases in rail (6.9%) and maritime transport (3.7%).
National ports handled 21.6 million tonnes of cargo, reflecting a year-on-year increase of 3.7%.
The port of Sines processed 11.1 million tonnes, up by 1.5% from the previous year, followed by the port of Leixões (3.2 million tonnes, up by 1.9%) and Lisbon (2.7 million tonnes, up by 6.7%). The port of Aveiro, after a 0.6% decline in the preceding quarter, recorded a 17.6% increase.
In the period under review, gas transport via pipeline decreased compared to the same period in 2024, both in entry (-14.0%) and exit (-13.8%), while oil pipeline transport increased by 7.5%, reaching 893,000 tonnes.
