Tourists who ‘diverted’ come by boat to Madeira

Tobi Hughes·
Madeira News

Many planes and many passengers disembarked this Friday in Porto Santo, after the flights verified at Madeira Airport, unable to land due to the force of the wind.

Some of the affected tourists are now heading to Madeira aboard Lobo Marinho.

Five planes, which were diverged, are on the Golden Island runway and all belong to international companies: TUI Airways, Transavia, British Airways, Jet2 and Smartwings.

From Diário Notícias

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Tobi Hughes

10 Responses

  1. One crazy, maybe not so crazy, idea: Build an airport capable of handling the FNC traffic and large enough for increasing traffic on Porto Santo. Transport the passengers by speed boats or maybe hover crafts directly into Funchal harbour. What do the engineers say?

  2. I think ever incresing winds will lead to the reduction in tourists to Madeira, many already avoid coming here due to the experience during landing. How much longer will airlines tolerate diverting to Porto santo. I guess that’s why Ryanair doesn’t come here. We also have to consider the planes having to wait for th eboat to return with the outbound passengers. They need to build a tunnel, Quite often the sees are choppy and that would also stop the boats from taking passengers between the two islands.

  3. Some clinical facts
    1) English channel tunnel finished in 1994 cost 21 billion dollars ( dont ask my why assessed in dollars but it is)
    2) to give a return on this ( and it went bankrupt whilst under construction requires HUGE numbers of daiky pedestrian,car and truck traffic.
    3)English channel is a very shallow water.
    4) Madeira stands 6000 ft above sea level but its the top of a volcano that is approx 20000 ft high,so over two thirds is under Atlantic and as top,goes straight down.
    5) between here and PS is approx 26 kilometers almost same as chunnel ( as fondly referred to) but what about depth, inflation and lack of volume of people,cars and truck traffic!!!
    The fishing lines they use to catch black ugly fish just off coast are over a mile long.
    So yes mad idea.

  4. They just need to put the infrastructure in place when there is bad weather forecast so that passengers can be bussed to Machico to catch ferry to Porto Santo and incoming passengers ferried back to Madeira. Another ferry would surely be a cheaper option than other suggestions.

  5. Well it was a great night for a romantic moonlight cruise, extra bonus on a Holiday.

  6. Hi All
    If 5 major airlines have already landed on Porto Santo, then presumably the airport is already big enough to take diverted planes.
    A lot of people I have spoken to over the years have been diverted back to Lisbon (from the UK) or on to the Canaries, so maybe spending a few quid upgrading Porto Santo Airport is something to consider.
    As for Hovercraft have the Madeira Government carried out a feasibility study to see if it is possible, surely a Hovercraft can shorten the transfer time between the Islands, allowing more than 1 trip a day.

  8. Over fifty years and seventy odd flights, I have been diverted three times, to Porto Santo, Tenerife and Lisbon and on one occasion to Cardiff rather than Bristol. I have never been stuck in Funchal, if had I’m sure the information would have been non existent. This what airports and airlines do. Is it going to stop me visiting Madeira, is it hell.

  9. Thats the spirit George.
    I was once on a KLM flight some years ago to Japan that went over a volcano just as it decided to go bang, nearly ( very) brought us down, but two months later on return trip went past it,still smoking. Point I’m making is its part of travel,regardless of which mode including our legs,it comes with risk. Here its wind at airport, but your more likely trip and break your leg on the pot holed pavements ( where they exist) or get knocked down where they don’t. What happens at airport is an inconvenience.
    Keep coming is what is needed for the people of this lovely islands sake if nothing else ( oh and just about every other positive the island and its peoples afford us)

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