Faro is a municipality, the southernmost city and capital of the district of the same name, in the Algarve region of southern Portugal. With an estimated population of 60,995 inhabitants in 2019[1] (with 39,733 inhabitants in the city proper, making it the biggest city and second most populous municipality in the Algarve (after Loulé) and one of the biggest in Southern Portugal), the municipality covers an area of about 202.57 km2 (78.21 sq mi).
The Ria Formosa lagoon attracted humans from the Palaeolithic age until the end of prehistory. The first settlements date from the fourth century BC, during the period of Phoenician colonization of the western Mediterranean.[5] At the time, the area was known as Ossonoba, and was the most important urban centre of southern Portugal and commercial port for agricultural products, fish, and minerals.
Between the second and eighth centuries, the city was under the domain of the Romans, then the Byzantines, and later Visigoths, before being conquered by the Arabic-speaking Muslims known as Moors in 713. From the third century onwards and during the Visigothic period, it was the site of an Episcopal see, the Ancient Diocese of Ossonoba (306-688). The Byzantine presence has endured in the city walls' towers that were built during the Byzantine period.
During the 500 years of Moorish rule, some Jewish residents of Faro made written copies of the Old Testament. The Moors were defeated and expelled in 1249 by the forces of the Portuguese King Afonso III. With the decline of the importance of the city of Silves (which was made the regional bishopric as Diocese of Silves shortly during and properly after the Reconquista), Faro took over the role of administration of the Algarve area.
The Algarve is served by an international airport located in Faro.
Faro Airport (Portuguese: Aeroporto de Faro, IATA: FAO, ICAO: LPFR), officially Gago Coutinho Airport (Aeroporto Gago Coutinho), is located four kilometres (two nautical miles) west of Faro in Portugal.
The airport opened in July 1965 being the main gateway to the year-round resort region of the Algarve with nine million passengers using the facility in 2019.
As of 2019, Faro Airport is capable of handling nine million passengers a year. There are 22 stands of which 16 are remote, with 60 check-in desks and 36 boarding gates.
In June 2022 it was announced that the airport would carry Gago Coutinho's name in honour of the navigator and admiral who, in 1922, together with the aviator Sacadura Cabral, accomplished the First aerial crossing of the South Atlantic in the seaplane Lusitânia, the Roman Empire name for Portugal. It became official in September 2022. At the same time it was announced the commissioning of a solar power plant with a capacity of 3MWp, enabling to produce 30% of the airport's electricity needs, reducing CO2 emissions by more than 1,500 tonnes per year.
In total there are 30 airlines flying from and to Faro and covering hundreds of detinations.
The longest flight from Faro FAO is a 2,287 mile (3,681 km) non-stop route to Toronto YYZ. This direct flight takes around 8 hours and 20 minutes and is operated by Air Transat.
Faro airport offers different amenities and passenger necessities in the arrival area including the banks, ATMs a bureau de change and post office. The location is still within the ground floor, they also normally give free newspapers and leaflets in arrivals area that contents useful local information that may be helpful to all the tourist and visitors while staying or having a connecting flight in Faro International Airport. You can check different websites on the internet for more detailed information.
From Faro airport there are connections with more than 76 destinations in 17 countries with flights operated by around 30 airlines.
At Faro Airport, the big car rental firms have desks in the arrivals hall, after baggage reclaim and customs. Smaller local firms tend to be based outside the terminal in the P4 parking area.
There is a range of well-known international car rental firms at Faro Airport (FAO), including Sixt, Hertz, Europcar and Avis-Budget, Enterprise, etc. and also smaller local companies based in Algarve.