High winds cause planes to circle for three-and-a-half hours above Madeira airport

A slightly skewiff statue of Cristiano Ronaldo is the most notable thing about Funchal Airport which, since March, has been known as Cristiano Ronaldo International Airport.

Before that, however, the airport on Madeira’s east coast was better known for hosting one of the world’s most challenging approaches and landings.

The airport’s runway is often buffeted by Atlantic winds, while its proximity to the mountains and ocean present yet more difficulties. Pilots scheduled to arrive here must undergo additional training, studying the approach in detail. Airlines wishing to fly into Funchal - sorry, Ronaldo - require special approval from the Portuguese aviation authority.

The reasons for this were no more evident than this week when a crowd of aircraft destined for the island off the coast of Africa were held in holding patterns at 14,000 feet for as long as three and a half hours while fierce winds whipped across their path.

Data from FlightRadar24.com shows delays, diversions and cancellations while one flight from Barcelona was forced to wait for three and a half hours, flying in circles just north east of Maderia, before having to divert to Las Palmas. More than 20 flights were diverted in all while six were cancelled, some run by Easyjet.

“When winds exceed acceptable margins, like they did for some aircraft [on Monday], aircraft either hold to wait for the winds to calm, or divert to refuel and try again. Some flights, like Monday’s Enter Air flight from Barcelona, end up doing both,” the aviation website said in a blogpost.

The site also posted radar tracking images of what 210 minutes of waiting looks like, with the speed rising and falling according to whether the plane was flying into or with the wind.

FlightRadar24 said today that strong winds were affecting landings again. At one point, five aircraft were held in holding laps above the island, waiting for the winds to drop. Meteorological data shows Madeira is experiencing gusts of up to 50mph.

Earlier this year the Association of Portuguese Airline Pilots (APPLA) said it was vital that the airport closes when winds exceed the maximum limits, either 29mph or 35mph depending on wind direction. In a statement it said that “there are limits to anything in aviation. These limits generally exist for several reasons, including safety issues”.

APPLA was concerned there had been some 20 commercial landings in the first half of 2017 when the wind had been exceeding limits.

The airport's runway, supported by columns that lift it 70 metres above the ocean, extends out over what was once a beach. 

The construction of it began in 1983 after a Boeing 727 operated by TAP Portugal overshot the original runway in 1977 in windy and rain conditions, landing past the threshold before aquaplaning and sliding off the runway and plunging off a steep bank. The aircraft crashed into a bridge, split into two and burst into flames, killing 131 of the 164 on board. The accident remains TAP Portugal’s only fatal accident and the second deadliest in Portugal.