Madeira's runway sits on the coast with a mountain behind it, and when the wind blows across it planes cannot land. It happens a few days a year, most often in winter and early spring, and when it does it makes the news: flights go round for an hour, divert to Porto Santo, the Canaries or Lisbon, or are cancelled outright. Departures get stuck too.
If it happens to you:
- Stay put and watch your airline's app and the board; do not leave the airport to look for a hotel until the airline says the flight is cancelled.
- Weather is outside the airline's control, so the cash compensation rules do not apply. But the airline still has to feed you and find you a bed if you are stranded overnight, and rebook you or refund you. Ask for it in writing.
- If you are diverted to Porto Santo, the island is small and its hotels fill instantly; the airline will fly or ferry you across as soon as the wind drops, usually the same or the next day.
- Coming to Madeira: if your flight is diverted, your rental car and your first night are still there. Call them.
- Leaving Madeira: on windy days get to the airport on time anyway. The window when planes can land opens and closes fast, and flights leave the moment it opens.
- Travel insurance that covers delay is worth having for this island in particular.
