Lisbon's airport closed 2025 at a record 36,126,000 passengers (+2.9%) — Europe's busiest single-runway airport, 16% above 2019 — while its €8.5-billion replacement at Alcochete targets 2034–2037.
LIS in 2025: 36,126,000 passengers (+2.9%) on 226,998 movements (+0.8%) — a record, and 16% above the pre-pandemic 31.2 million. Portugal's airports collectively hit 73.7 million, with Lisbon holding 49% of national traffic, ahead of Porto (16.9M) and Faro (10.4M). August peaked at 3.5 million; even February held 2.36 million.
Structure: TAP Air Portugal's hub and Europe's most efficient single-runway operation — mainland Europe's busiest — with Ryanair and easyJet as major low-cost presences and a distinctive long-haul map: Brazil, Portuguese-speaking Africa and an expanding North American bank. The airport sits ~7 km from the centre, inside the urban fabric — the very reason it cannot grow.
The replacement: Luís de Camões Airport at the Alcochete firing range across the Tagus — two runways (option for four), €8.5 billion, ANA/Vinci proposing fee increases 2026–2030 and a concession extension to 2092 to finance it without direct state money. Environmental study July 2026; application January 2028; construction six years; opening 2034 (government) to 2037 (ANA).
Humberto Delgado is a lesson in infrastructure gravity: a record 36.1 million passengers squeezed through a single runway seven kilometres from downtown, with movements growing just 0.8% — the slots are the ceiling, not demand. Practically: arrive early — morning departure banks queue security hard; the metro Red Line reaches Baixa in ~25 minutes for under €2, and low-cost flights use walk-to-gate Terminal 2 (free shuttle from T1 every 10 minutes). TAP's transatlantic banks make Lisbon the cheapest US–Europe gateway in many markets — check positioning fares. The watch item is Alcochete: environmental impact study due July 2026, full application January 2028, opening realistically 2034–2037 — ANA/Vinci wants fees to rise 2026–2030 to fund it, which means the passenger pays for the new airport before it exists. Until then, every record year tightens the same single runway.
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