ANA (Aeroportos de Portugal) “categorically denies allegations”
Portugal’s airports authority ANA has today come out in “categorical denial” against complaints made by the Police Professionals’ Union Association (ASPP/PSP), which accuses it of pressuring the government and the PSP to facilitate border control at Lisbon airport.
An official source has told Lusa: “ANA categorically denies the allegations made by ASPP that it is pressuring the government and the PSP to reduce border controls at Humberto Delgado Airport.”
Border control is the exclusive responsibility of the state and ANA has “no interference whatsoever” in the way it is carried out.
“By recording waiting times of more than two hours in arrivals, and which can reach four hours, ANA has, above all, expressed its great concern for passengers”, the source admits, suggesting that “ASPP does not share this concern and shows total indifference to such long waiting times”, where people have been known to faint and enter into various stages of distress.
Yesterday, ASPP/PSP implored the government not to give in to any kind of pressure.
In a note, the union said it was aware that ANA “has been putting pressure on the Public Security Police and the government to ease controls at the Lisbon border, in a clear attempt to reduce waiting times”.
ASPP/PSP considers it “incomprehensible and intolerable that the government” should give in to the interests of a private company “whose sole purpose is to increase its profits”, at a time when the executive has defined immigration control as one of its priorities.
According to the union, it is “technically impossible” to ensure the level of security and control required by Schengen regulations and, at the same time, accelerate the flow of passengers through Lisbon airport “without jeopardising the entire European community”.
ASPP/PSP adds that “police officers on duty at the country’s borders are exhausted”, as there has never been such a high volume of airline passengers – which is continuing to increase with the summer season.
The union states that “there is a lack of recognition and financial compensation” for this demanding job, but stresses that “it will do everything it can to ensure that a private operator does not interfere in essential public services – especially in safeguarding national security and the Schengen Area”.
At the beginning of June, Minister of Infrastructure and Housing, Miguel Pinto Luz, said that the problems with long queues at both Lisbon and Faro airports should be resolved in the next two weeks, after a new system came into operation.
These statements came after the successive publication, in previous weeks, of images of long queues of passengers from countries outside the Schengen Area waiting several hours for immigration control.
Tourism operators were also expressing concern, as there were even comments online about “not flying to Portugal again” because of the inconvenience.
Source: LUSA
