In order to land at the airport in Madeira (its official name is Cristiano Ronaldo International Airport), pilots must undergo special additional training. The approach to landing there is exceptionally difficult due to the construction of the runway on the one hand, and the often difficult weather on the other. In recent days, strong winds have caused many flights to and from the island to be canceled, leaving many tourists, including Poles, stranded there.
Madeira. Poles stuck at the airport
As the press office of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs told Polish Radio, the ministry is informed about the situation and is trying to help citizens of our country. It was emphasized that Poles waiting to return from Madeira are not in danger, and that travel agencies are obliged to ensure not only the stay, but also the return from the trip for their clients. “Failure to fulfill this obligation is the basis for claims from tourists affected by the situation,” the MFA reminded.
Tourists from Poland were among hundreds of others stranded at the airport near Funchal, the capital of the Portuguese island. Today alone (Sunday, August 18), around 20 flights were cancelled (both take-offs and landings), while others were delayed. Aleksandra Zasępa, who is a tour guide in Madeira, told Polish Radio that it is particularly difficult that passengers do not know how long they will have to wait for their flight.
After 5:00 p.m. Polish time, the airport's website still showed many cancelled flights – both take-offs and landings.
Strong winds and a difficult airport
Strong winds, which gusted to 75 kilometres per hour at night, may make take-offs and landings in Madeira difficult for up to two more days. Such weather is an exceptionally serious problem on this island. The airport appears in the rankings of the “most dangerous in the world”, but it is primarily about the challenge for pilots, who, if necessary – as you can see – give up the approach attempt. For safety's sake. The port is located on a headland, at the foot of steep mountains. Pilots cannot use the ILS system there, which makes landing easier, especially in poor visibility conditions – you can only land there with a visual approach. Just before the plane's very short final approach, the pilot must circle and turn 180 or even 200 degrees.
Fires in Madeira
The wind is not helping in another area: fighting forest fires. The fire that broke out on Wednesday is still raging in the west of the island. There is currently no information about casualties or burned houses. About 200 people had to evacuate. For many hours, no plane landed in Madeira, apart from a military aircraft with firefighting equipment. According to the portal portugalpulse.com, smoke from the fires has covered the sky over the island's capital, Funchal.