Faro Airport

About Faro Airport

Faro Airport (FAO), officially Faro-Gago Coutinho Airport, sits about 4 km west of Faro’s old town on the edge of the Ria Formosa natural park, and is the Algarve’s only international airport. It handles a single terminal’s worth of traffic that swells dramatically in summer, driven by the region’s British, Irish, Dutch and German package-holiday market, with a quieter year-round schedule the rest of the year.

The airport’s single terminal keeps arrivals straightforward, with domestic and international flights sharing the same building and no inter-terminal transfers to navigate.

Getting from Faro Airport to the Algarve resorts

A pre-booked transfer to Faro’s old town and marina takes around 10 minutes. Onward to the main resort belt, Vilamoura and Quarteira are the closest at around 20 to 25 minutes, Albufeira further along the coast at around 45 minutes, and Lagos to the west at around 55 minutes. Bus routes connect the airport to Faro and some resort towns, but a private transfer waiting at arrivals is the more predictable option for a family, a group with luggage, or a flight landing outside the main daytime window.

Terminals and pickup points

Faro Airport operates from a single terminal building serving all flights, arrivals and departures on the ground floor. Pre-booked transfer drivers wait in the arrivals hall with a name sign confirmed in your booking, just past baggage claim.

Common transfer routes from Faro Airport

Typical routes from FAO include:

• FAO to Faro old town and marina, around 10 minutes.
• FAO to Vilamoura, around 20 to 25 minutes.
• FAO to Quarteira, around 20 to 25 minutes.
• FAO to Albufeira, around 45 minutes.
• FAO to Lagos, around 55 minutes.

Most passengers on this route are heading straight to a resort rather than stopping in Faro itself, so a direct transfer from the terminal to the hotel is the most commonly booked journey.

Booking your Faro Airport transfer

Compare licensed Algarve operators on this site for any FAO route. You get one fixed price up front, meet-and-greet at the terminal, flight tracking and free cancellation up to 24 hours before pickup. Visa, Mastercard, Amex, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Alipay, iDEAL, Wero and PayPal are all accepted.

Because Faro’s single terminal runs close to capacity on peak summer charter days, booking 24 to 48 hours ahead is worthwhile even though last-minute bookings remain possible when capacity allows.