The President of the Regional Government of Madeira met on Tuesday in New York with Carlos Antunes, TAP Air Portugal’s Director for the Americas, and Fernanda Ottavio, Head of the North American Market, to discuss the possibility of opening new air routes to the Region. The meeting took place during the ‘Toast to America’ event and focused on the potential creation of direct connections between Funchal and the cities of Miami and Toronto.
At the centre of the discussions was the strengthening of Madeira’s links with tourism and diaspora markets in North America. The creation of new transatlantic routes was presented as an opportunity to boost tourism, attract investment, and strengthen relations between the Region and the continent.
As a positive example, those present highlighted the success of the direct Funchal–Newark service operated by United Airlines, which currently offers three weekly flights. The route has experienced strong demand and has demonstrated the potential of the North American market for Madeira.
The figures underline this growth. In 2025, the Region recorded 284,345 overnight stays and welcomed 79,536 North American visitors, representing increases of 322.5% and 365.6%, respectively, compared with 2019. During the same period, the United States rose from the 11th to the sixth most important foreign source market for Madeira.
Regarding Canada, the possibility of a direct connection between Madeira and Toronto was also analysed. Reference was made to the route previously operated by Azores Airlines and to the presence in Toronto of one of the largest Portuguese and Madeiran communities outside Portugal. TAP currently serves Toronto and Montreal from Lisbon, offering 16 weekly flights and around 2,700 seats.
For the summer season, TAP has already strengthened its presence in Madeira by introducing an additional Porto–Funchal–Porto service, operated four times a week using an A321neo LR aircraft. The schedule allows passengers to make quick connections, with stopovers of around one hour, to transatlantic flights from Porto to Boston and Newark.
The meeting also provided an opportunity to review cooperation between the Regional Government and the national carrier, which has already produced concrete results. These include the resumption of the direct Madeira–Caracas service in the summer of 2024 and the return of the Funchal–Faro route in 2025.
Samantha Gannon
info at madeira-weekly.com
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