"We intend to test all passengers, with and without appointment, who are waiting at Lisbon airport, so that no one is prevented from traveling", said an official company source, after images of huge lines of people waiting to take the Covid-19 test at Lisbon's Humberto Delgado Airport were shown on TV.

The queues were due, according to Synlab, to the fact that the airport's testing centre was the only place open on the first day of the year to carry out tests.

“This is, as you know, the only place open today (January 1) for Covid testing in Lisbon and despite the service being open exclusively to passengers, there is also an increased need for testing for passengers on numerous return flights after the Christmas and New Year holidays”, concludes the source.