Faro airport No smoking

It was shut on 3rd November on my way back. Women said to me no smoking in airport anymore

The area is probably now planned to be something else, that can make the owners some more money by charging extortionate prices for food and drink.

'erindoors will not be pleased.

I am intrigued by the expansion of the airport overall to be honest.

Although I don't travel in the summer, the only complaints I ever really hear is about the problem getting through passport control. A difficulty more or less unique to Irish and British travellers, simply remedied by actually manning all the booths and having automated gates that actually work.

The part where the smoking lounge is, and always has been, virtually empty when I have been there (the smoking lounge itself being a partial exemption).

This "bulge" that is going to take up what was the most convenient car park is going to house what exactly? Tie rack and Starbucks? Faro isn't really that kind of airport is it? What is the point in adding more stuff landside, or even airside for that matter. For a smallish airport Faro has a decent variety of shops and eateries airside already - it makes Munich look like Blackpool or Southend airports...

The one thing I would like to see return is the observation lounge where you could wave at your relatives/friends when they were waiting for their bags, and more importantly see when they had collected them. Or at least get the giant arrivals screen working properly again, it is, and has been, next to useless since they put in state of the art small screens everywhere else and reduced the information on that one to whether a plane has arrived or not.   

It wasn't open in December.

It was still closed in January .

I can confirm that the whole of upstairs is shut at the moment! Including the smoking lounge!