Strong winds are expected to continue affecting operations at Madeira International Airport until at least Friday, according to the Portuguese Institute for Atmosphere and Sea (IPMA), following a day of significant disruption that saw dozens of flights cancelled or diverted.
Speaking to JM and 88.8 JM FM radio, Ricardo Tavares, IPMA’s Regional Delegate in Madeira and head of the Funchal Meteorological Observatory, said the current weather pattern is likely to persist over the coming days.
“The trend over the next few days is for periods of strong, and at times very strong, winds, particularly in the eastern and western extremes of Madeira Island. As a result, airport operations may continue to be affected on a sporadic basis,” he explained.
According to Tavares, a more noticeable improvement is only expected towards the end of the week.
“A gradual reduction in wind intensity is expected on Wednesday and Thursday, but it is on Friday that we anticipate a more significant decrease, with conditions becoming much calmer and winds generally light,” he said.
The forecast comes after a day of severe disruption at Madeira International Airport, where strong winds led to the cancellation and diversion of numerous flights.
According to ANA Aeroportos de Portugal, more than 20 flights were cancelled throughout the day, affecting both arrivals and departures. Routes connecting Madeira with Lisbon, Porto, the United Kingdom and Germany were among the hardest hit.
Cancelled arrivals included several EasyJet services from London Gatwick, Luton, Manchester and Bristol, TAP Air Portugal flights from Lisbon, an Azores Airlines service from Ponta Delgada and a Ryanair flight operating between Porto and Porto Santo. Several operations by EasyJet Europe, Marabu and Lufthansa/Condor were also suspended.
A significant number of flights were forced to divert to alternative airports. These included Jet2 services from Birmingham, Bristol, Liverpool and Manchester, an Iberia flight from Madrid, a Wizz Air service from Budapest, a Condor flight from Frankfurt, a TUI Belgium flight from Brussels and Marabu flights from Hamburg and Leipzig. Aircraft were redirected to destinations including Lisbon, Faro, Porto Santo, the Canary Islands and, in some cases, returned to their airports of origin.
Despite the challenging conditions, some flights were able to land safely in Madeira, including services arriving from Bristol, Faro, Porto and Helsinki.
Departures were equally affected, with much of the afternoon and evening schedule cancelled, including flights operated by TAP Air Portugal, EasyJet, Ryanair, Azores Airlines, Marabu and Wizz Air.
The adverse weather began impacting operations during the morning and persisted throughout the day, affecting hundreds of passengers and forcing airlines and airport authorities to make multiple operational adjustments. The strongest gust recorded in the airport area reached 77 km/h.
With strong winds expected to continue over the coming days, travellers are being advised to monitor the status of their flights closely and remain in contact with their airlines before travelling to the airport.
Samantha Gannon
info at madeira-weekly.com
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