Due to strong winds, the airport in Funchal, the main city of Madeira, is temporarily closed to flights. Several hundred tourists, including Poles, have been camping at the airport since Saturday.
Many holidaymakers, according to local media, have spread out sleeping mats and bags on the airport floors while waiting for their flight. According to the daily “Diario de Noticias”, whose reporters have spoken to tourists camping out at the airport, many of them complain about the lack of help from air carriers.
Local television RTP Madeira reports that the situation at the airport continues to deteriorate as more passengers arrive at the airport.
There are many Poles among the travellers stranded on the Portuguese island.
On Sunday with the editorial team Contact 24 Mr. Robert contacted us, who had been waiting for a return flight to Katowice since Saturday. The Enter Air charter flight from Madeira was scheduled to depart on Saturday at 20:10, but due to high winds and the situation on the island, it was canceled.
Ms. Monika found herself in a similar situation, when the weather prevented her from returning to Warsaw. – The board is red. The weather does not allow for takeoff or landing. We have already received two vouchers for food from the carrier. Twice for 12 euros – she reported on Sunday in an interview with the editorial staff of Kontakt 24.
Funchal AirportShutterstock
Dozens of flights cancelled
Regional media estimates suggest that more than 80 flights have been cancelled in Madeira since Saturday evening, with a new date yet to be set.
The main reason for the suspension of Madeira airport operations is the strong winds passing over the island located in the Atlantic Ocean.
The storms are also hampering efforts to contain a forest fire in the central part of the island that has been spreading since Wednesday. According to the regional civil defense, the fire has already burned over 5,000 hectares of trees and forced the evacuation of several hundred people.
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