Guide
Smoking at Humberto Delgado Airport (Lisbon)
Airports are public buildings, and Portugal's tobacco law applies to them like any other enclosed public space, with only a narrow, technically regulated exception for designated smoking areas. Provision inside terminals changes over time, so always check ANA's own airport information rather than relying on older guides.
Last checked: September 2026
In short
Smoking is prohibited by default in the enclosed public areas of Humberto Delgado Airport, as it is in any other indoor public building under Law 37/2007; any designated smoking area inside the terminal has to meet the separation and ventilation requirements of Portaria 154/2022, and such areas can be added, moved or removed by the airport operator over time. Landside, outside the terminal doors, ordinary outdoor smoking rules apply as in the rest of the city; airside, past security, whether and where smoking is possible depends entirely on what is currently signposted, so a traveller should check ANA Aeroportos' own airport information for the terminal and date of travel rather than assume a location seen in an older post is still there.
Key points
- The airport terminal is an enclosed public building under the general smoking ban, not a special zone.
- Any smoking area airside must meet national ventilation and separation standards and can change over time.
- We do not list specific gates or hours for smoking areas — check ANA Aeroportos directly for your terminal and date.
- Landside areas follow the same outdoor rules as the rest of the city.
- Heated tobacco and vaping devices are treated the same as cigarettes under the law.
The legal baseline
Law 37/2007, as amended, bans smoking in enclosed spaces open to the public, which covers airport terminal buildings. As with hotels and offices, an operator can only carve out an exception for a designated smoking area if it meets the ventilation and construction standards set nationally in Portaria 154/2022.
Because these requirements are strict and the exact layout of any smoking area is an operational decision for the airport, we do not list specific locations, gates or opening hours here — that information is only reliable if it comes straight from ANA Aeroportos and is current for your terminal.
Landside versus airside
Landside areas — kerbside, car parks, the approach roads — are outdoor public space, where the general rules that apply to streets and squares in Lisbon are the relevant reference, not a special airport regime.
Airside, once through security, passengers are inside an enclosed public building for the purposes of the smoking ban, and the only way to smoke legally there is within a compliant designated area if and where the airport currently provides one. Long layovers or connections do not change this: the law does not grant an automatic exception for transit passengers.
What to check before you fly
Because terminal layouts and smoking-area provision change, the only dependable source is ANA Aeroportos' own website for Humberto Delgado Airport, checked close to your travel date and specific to the terminal you are using (Terminal 1 or Terminal 2 have different layouts).
If you are unsure whether a device counts as "smoking" under Portuguese law — this includes heated tobacco and vaping devices, not just cigarettes — treat it as covered by the same rules and look for the same signage.
Fines and enforcement
Smoking outside a permitted area in a place covered by Law 37/2007 is a contraordenação (administrative offence) and can lead to a fine; enforcement in transport and transport-adjacent infrastructure is a recognised priority, as reflected in comparable published fine ranges for public transport premises. Airport staff and airport security can and do act on this.
Common questions
- Is there a smoking room at Lisbon Airport?
- Provision changes over time and differs by terminal. Check ANA Aeroportos' current airport information rather than relying on older articles.
- Can I smoke outside the terminal before security?
- Outdoor landside areas follow the general outdoor rules, not a special indoor prohibition, so smoking is generally possible there away from building entrances, subject to any local signage.
- Does the ban apply to vapes and heated tobacco at the airport?
- Yes — since 2017 the legal definition of smoking includes devices producing aerosols, vapours, gases or inhalable particles, not just combustion tobacco.
Sources
This page is general information about Portuguese rules and Lisbon practice, not legal advice. Rules change; check the sources for the current text. Tobacco is for adults 18 and over.