Ryanair has sounded the alarm for holidaymakers after a spate of 'unacceptable' problems at several Portuguese airports left hundreds stranded after missing their flights.

The budget airline has revealed that 270 travellers have been affected by snaking queues and dire staff shortages at check-in. Especially hard-hit are the popular destinations of Faro, Lisbon, and Porto, where individuals have reported grinding waits of up to two and a half hours.

In a statement released on Monday, Ryanair slammed the airport crisis, branding it as "completely unacceptable" and issuing a demand to Portugal's new administration to take control of the worsening staffing debacle.

"In just the past two weeks, over 270 passengers missed their flights at these airports due to excessive delays caused by understaffed border controls," the airline stated.

The saga began in earnest on May 26, triggering alerts from Ryanair about the plight of families with weary young ones in tow amid the bedlam. The crunch is worst during the morning rush, when the influx of travellers outstrips the capacity of the understaffed border patrol, reports the Mirror.

Pointing fingers squarely at ANA, the airport management firm, Ryanair accused the operator of inadequate planning for the predictable spike in summer travel numbers. "The new government should take urgent measures to ensure that border control at Portuguese airport is duly equipped with resources," the airline implored in its communication.

The airline has urged immediate action to prevent further disruption, "especially during the morning rush hour, in order to avoid unnecessary delays and more people unfairly missing their flights".

Ryanair's Director Of Operations, Neal McMahon, labelled the situation as "unsustainable," cautioning that things will only deteriorate as air traffic increases over the summer months.

Portugal's Minister of Infrastructure, Miguel Pinto Luz, attempted to alleviate escalating worries last week, assuring that border control issues should be "resolved within two weeks".

Meanwhile, the PSP police force has committed to deploying 500 new officers to bolster airport security and border posts at Lisbon, Porto, Madeira, and the Azores from July.

In the interim, an early reinforcements push is already in progress at Faro Airport, where the situation has been especially severe. Passengers travelling to or through Portugal are now being strongly advised to arrive at the airport extra early - or risk being left behind.

This follows reports from travel companies that thousands of UK holidaymakers are forgoing traditional European destinations in favour of north Africa. Experts suggest many people are attracted to the region due to its wide availability of high-quality hotels costing significantly less than similar properties in locations such as Spain, France and Italy.

North African nations such as Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia are witnessing a surge in UK visitors. According to aviation analysts Cirium, an estimated 19,847 flights are expected to operate from UK airports to these countries this year, more than double the 8,653 that did so in 2019.

In contrast, the number of flights to Spain and Portugal is predicted to rise by 10% and 9% respectively over the same period.