Quieter skies
By Paulo Áureo
Austerity could be heard from the hills above Santa Cruz: fewer planes. In 2012 aircraft movements at Madeira airport fell by 4.6% and at Porto Santo by 6.1%, and the two airports together handled about 2.3 million passengers.
It is a useful number to keep in your pocket. In 2025 Madeira airport alone handled about 5.4 million passengers, more than twice as many. On a summer Saturday today the departures board looks like a small mainland airport; in 2012 you could still find a quiet bench in the terminal.
If you are flying in now, our guide to Madeira airport explains the wind, the runway and what to do when a flight is diverted.