Ryanair has acknowledged that there are long waits for passengers at Lisbon airport, but also says that the same happens in other EU countries, such as Germany and Ireland, due to a lack of staff.

"There are many problems in the travelling experience because of the lack of workers," but "Lisbon is no different to many other airports in Europe at the moment," Ryanair group CEO Michael O'Leary told Lusa news agency in an interview in Brussels.

O'Leary estimated that "the number of staff will improve over the next month or two", although he acknowledged that "there are many bottlenecks in airport security and handling in many airports across Europe".

The executive said that the Montijo airport project could help relieve the pressure on Lisbon airport.

"At a time when Portela airport is full and we cannot get any additional slots to grow there, Lisbon's growth and the recovery of tourism in Lisbon and in Portugal in general is being held back by the Government's failure to move forward with Montijo, which now has the support not only of the airlines, but also of ANA," he said.