This is a nice little story about Madeira’s Airport.
I knew about the plane that crashed, but I didn’t know the airport was extended in the 70s, before the major extention in 2000.
Madeira Airport (also known informally as Funchal Airport and formally as the Cristiano Ronaldo International Airport) is the only airport serving the Portuguese island of Madeira. It is located in a difficult area, surrounded by mountains and the sea, making both the flying approach and airport construction difficult. There have been two major runway extensions, though, as airport use has increased – the most recent involving an impressive bridge-based extension.
Madeira/Funchal Airport opened in 1964, with just one runway (05/23 as it remains today) with a length of 1,600 meters (5,249 feet). Tourism was expanding on the island, and the airport was seen as vital to support this.
The landing at the airport at this time was considered one of the most challenging in Europe. It remains difficult today with changeable weather and wind conditions, but with the short runway, it was even more so.
Continue reading the story below by Justin Haywood, just click the link.
https://simpleflying.com/madeira-airport-runway-extensions-history/