Lisbon Airport, historically known as Portela Airport and now renamed to Humberto Delgado Airport, serves the Lisbon, the capital city of Portugal and plays a significant part in routes to South America and Africa. Have a flight leaving from, or connecting in what the locals call Lisboa Aeroporto? Read on to see our full guide on Lisbon Airport!
Lisbon is Europe’s westernmost capital city and historically was an important port during Europeans exploration of the world. Even with the advent of modern air travel, the importance of Lisbon in Europe continues with Star Alliance member and Portuguese flag-carrier, TAP Air Portugal using the airport as a hub linking to the Americas, Africa, and within Europe itself.
Lisbon Airport and TAP Air Portugal offer more routes to Brazil than any other airline in Europe, meaning many passengers across the continent heading to the Portuguese speaking country will pass through Portugal itself.
Lisbon Airport is only 7km northeast of Lisbon city itself. As such, getting into Lisbon does not take long, and passengers can make use of the metro, bus, or car to get to the city, as well as two bicycle paths. Expansion plans are in place to improve and increase the capacity of the airport by 2022. The airport as it is, serves budget airlines at its newer and smaller Terminal 2, while traditional carriers operate from Terminal 1.
Lisbon Airport At-a-glance
Official Website: www.aeroportolisboa.pt
Airport Code: LIS
Terminals: 2
Address: Alameda das Comunidades Portuguesas,
1700-111 Lisboa,
Portugal
Gate Checker: https://www.aeroportolisboa.pt/en/lis/flights-destinations/find-flights/real-time-departures
Terminal Checker: Use the gate checker link above; Low-cost Carriers depart from Terminal 2
Contact Number: +351 218 413 500
Timezone: GMT October-March, GMT+1 March-October
Lost Property Contact:
Email: alspsp@ana.pt
Phone: + 351 218 444 530
Map: There is no official map available. However, maps of Terminal 1 and Terminal 2 are on third-party Lisbon promotional sites.
WiFi: Free WiFi is available throughout the airport. The network name is ‘VINCI Airports wifi’.
Apps: Lisbon Airport has apps for both Android and iOS thanks to the Portuguese Airports authority, ANA Aeroportos de Portugal.
Lisbon Airport Facilities
Lisbon Airport isn’t as big as many other airports throughout Europe, but it still has everything a traveller could need. Unlimited WiFi, currency conversion, ATM’s, conference rooms, post office facilities, luggage storage, and of course cafes, restaurants and shops. There is even a golf club hire service, so holidaying golfers don’t have to travel with their clubs. Family travellers can make use of a children’s playground if flying from Terminal 1. All families can also use the family room pre-security in Terminal 1 irrespective of their departure terminal.
Passengers should be aware that Terminal 2 has a severely reduced offering both landside and airside (landside is the area before security, airside is after). There are a handful of both eateries and shops to entertain those flying with the budget carriers that depart Terminal 2. However, the terminal has little else to provide travellers with distractions while waiting to fly. For those who arrive in Lisbon airport early and are flying from Terminal 2, dropping any bags off and taking the free shuttle bus to Terminal 1 could be preferable. There is an airside airport lounge in T1 that would provide more comfort than T2.
Any overnight travellers looking to sleep, rest and freshen up at the airport and looking for a hotel will find no on-site options. Instead, all the nearby hotels are a short taxi or shuttle ride away. If travelling light and don’t mind a stroll, the nearest are within walking distance. Search for “Lisbon Airport” on Hotels.com or Booking.com to see the best options for your budget. The very closest option is Hotel Tryp Aeroporto. This hotel is ten minutes to walk to, or a free shuttle ride away (operational between 4 AM-12:30 PM and 6 PM-10 PM). Of course, another alternative is travelling into Lisbon city itself and staying in one of the many hotels on offer.
Shower facilities are available solely in Terminal 1. However, there are no free options for those looking to rinse off. The publicly accessible showers are airside, past security, and prebooking via telephone is required. Passengers can call 968 583 205 from their mobile phone or 20777 from any courtesy phone in the airport to book. Shower access costs €15.85, but this does include a shower kit. Alternatively, three of the airport lounges have showers too, including the pre-security ‘Airport Business Center Lounge’ that Terminal 2 passengers can use. Only the TAP Premium Lounge has showers with no charge, however.
Luggage storage is possible for a chargeable daily rate. Prices calculations are by item weight, not size. It costs €3.39 per day for items under 10kg, €5.03 per day for items between 10kg and 30kg, and €9.97 for any items over 30kg. The storage facility is landside near to Car Park 2, close to Starbucks. Passengers should take a photograph of their receipt as losing this will cost a hefty €13.90 on top of the storage costs.
Lisbon Airport Terminal Layout
Historically, Lisbon Airport operated from a single terminal, now called Terminal 1. Terminal 2 opened in 2007 to allow an increase in passenger capacity of the airport. Initially used for domestic flights only, the second terminal now has much more use thanks to the growth of low-cost carriers that operate exclusively from T2.
Terminal 1
Despite being the older of the two terminals, Lisbon Airport’s Terminal 1 has enjoyed upgrades and expansions and feels like a modern airport. Some parts may feel a little tired, but the overall, the improvements have helped. Unlike most other airports, passport controls location is after passing through the duty-free shop. Depending on the flight time, and thus how busy the airport is, queues can be long and unexpected if browsing for tax-free gifts. If you are travelling through, be sure to factor in the unusual placement of passport control so that you don’t miss your flight.
Terminal 2
Lisbon Airport’s Terminal 2 receives widespread negative feedback due to the limited offerings it has available for passengers. Like the budget airlines that fly it, Terminal 2 has a no-frills approach resulting in a lower standard of experience than in T1. The terminal is not connected physically to Terminal 1 and is instead a satellite building accessible by free shuttle bus. The shuttle bus takes just 3 minutes from Terminal 1, meaning passengers can spend time using the landside facilities in Terminal 1 before heading to Terminal 2 if they have a lot of time spare.
Lisbon Airport Connections
With its proximity to the city of Lisbon, Lisbon Airport served well by all modes of transport and visitors can find themselves in the centre in as little as 15 minutes. Those looking to travel further into Portugal can reach the large Gare do Oriente railway station in ten minutes, which has many trains to other townships in the country. The closeness between the city and the airport also allows bicycling to and from the airport. Two bicycle paths service the airport.
Bus: Buses depart from both terminals. Depending on how much luggage passengers are travelling with, the public bus will be the cheapest road option to get into the city centre. A single ticket on the ‘Carris‘ bus will cost €1.45 for those with an electronic ‘Viva Viagem‘ card or €1.80 on the bus. However, if travelling with luggage that is larger than what would fit in the planes overhead compartment, travellers cannot use this bus.
Instead, they will need to use the Aerobus. The bus has more services on board with USB charging and WiFi but costs a little more at €3.60. There are two bus lines the Aerobus follows; Line 1 which heads to the central Baixa area, and Line 2 which serves the Sete Rios bus station. The journey time on to Baixa is approximately 20 minutes.
Metro: The metro only connects to Terminal 1, meaning Terminal 2 travellers must make their way to and from T2 by free shuttle bus. Lisbon Airport has a dedicated metro stop (Aeroporto) at the end of the red line. Journey time to Lisbon centre is around 20 minutes, and the same ‘Viva Viagem‘ electronic payment method the buses use is in place. Tickets cost €1.45 for a single journey, with a €6.30 24 hour ticket available. Click here to find a metro map.
Car: All the car hire companies operate from Terminal 1. Avis, Europcar, Goldcar, Hertz, Sixt and more have a presence at Lisbon Airport. Lisbon Airport is very close to the E1 highway which travels the length of the country into Spain at both its northern and southern points. If flying with a low-cost carrier, travellers will arrive at Terminal 2 and will need to make use of the regular, free shuttle bus to Terminal 1.
Taxi: Taxis operate outside of both Terminal 1 and Terminal 2. With the city being so close to the airport, the taxi’s cost may be cheaper than the metro or bus if travelling in a larger group. Depending on traffic, and the destination, a taxi should cost €10-€15 when travelling between the airport and Lisbon.
Rideshare apps such as Uber are in operation in Lisbon. These can be cheaper than a taxi and operate from Terminal 1. The pick-up point is across the road from the T2 shuttle bus location in Car Park 1.
Connections
Unless travelling with a self-transfer, all flight connections will be in the same terminal you arrive reducing transit time. Budget airlines operate from Terminal 2 while traditional airlines fly from Terminal 1.
If you booked your tickets with the airline directly, or with an online travel agent, then they will account for any transfer time, and your bags checked to your final destination. Generally, 55 minutes is the minimum connection time that TAP use for Schengen flights at Lisbon Airport.
If you have booked a self-transfer ticket, for example, when flying with two airlines made with two bookings, you should allow additional time to pick up luggage and possibly clear immigration. If your flight arrival is from a non-Schengen country, or your departure is to a non-Schengen country, you will need to pass through passport control which can take a long time. As Lisbon airport has reports of slow immigration, allow for a minimum of 2 hours for connections. If your self-connection uses a budget airline, this should increase to 2 hours 30 minutes.
Lisbon Airport Lounges
Lisbon Airport is not abundant for business or luxury travellers looking for a lounge to relax in before their flight. Terminal 2 has zero lounge offerings due to its small size and support for budget airlines. Terminal 1 meanwhile homes just four. The ‘Airport Business Center’ lounge is landside (i.e. before security) so all passengers can pay to enter, regardless of their departure terminal. However, some online reviews suggest it is disappointing.
Terminal 2 Lounges
Blue Lounge
Located on the 5th floor, near Gates 7-13
ANA Lounge (this lounge has shower facilities)
Located on the 6th floor, near Gate 22.
Note: This is not tied to ANA Airways for Star Alliance travellers to benefit from.
Airport Business Center Lounge (this lounge has shower facilities)
Located above the check-in counters, before security
TAP Premium Lounge (this lounge has shower facilities)
Located on the 6th floor, near Gate 22.