The cargo plane that was operating between Lisbon and Funchal on Tuesday morning was forced to return to the Portuguese capital due to a technical malfunction, compromising the operation scheduled for today.
The aircraft, an ATR 72-300F with a capacity of approximately eight tons, is part of the operation of the Madeira Air Integrated Solutions (MAIS) consortium, responsible for the daily cargo rotation between Lisbon and Funchal, carried out from Tuesday to Saturday.
The company representative explained to DIÁRIO that the problem arose following an anomaly detected after takeoff. “It’s a technical fault. The plane has already come to Lisbon twice today. First, it took off in the early morning, but turned back because the fault couldn’t be repaired in Funchal,” he began. “Then line maintenance considered the aircraft repaired, it took off again, but after about half an hour of flight, it had to turn back again. These are technical issues,” he said.
“Our priority is, above all, safety,” stressed António Beirão.
Currently, maintenance teams are working on the aircraft in Lisbon, attempting to resolve the problem during the day. “If conditions allow, we will try to operate the flight to Funchal tonight, in order to restore normalcy. We’ll see if it’s possible in time,” he added.
This air link is intended for the transport of general and perishable cargo, including fish, fruit and flowers, as well as medicines, urgent products, valuable cargo and certain classes of hazardous materials, and is considered essential for the supply of the Autonomous Region of Madeira.