Madeira Airport – Cristiano Ronaldo is expected to have a total capacity of 298,749 seats, representing a 20.95% increase compared to August 2024 (+51,757 seats) and a significant 75.07% increase compared to the same month in 2019 (+128,099 seats), pre-pandemic. In terms of air traffic, a new high is also expected to be reached, with 1,661 scheduled flights, 287 more than in August last year (+20.89%) and 633 more than in 2019 (+61.58%), according to the report cited on the Regional Government’s official website.
At Porto Santo Airport, the trend is also toward growth, with 16,476 seats available, representing an 18.41% increase compared to August 2024 (+2,562 seats) and a 26.52% increase compared to 2019. A total of 94 flights will be operated, 20 more than in both comparison years (+27.03%).
Among the main operational highlights of the month is the return of TAP’s seasonal connection between Funchal and Caracas, starting August 14, with weekly flights until October 16. Norwegian will also resume its route between Oslo and Funchal on August 19, also with a weekly frequency.
The airlines contributing most to this significant growth in air capacity are, firstly, easyJet, with 81,346 seats, representing 25.81% of the total capacity for the region. Next are TAP with 58,551 seats (18.57%), and Ryanair with 39,055 seats (12.39%). The top 5 is rounded out by Transavia (5.70%) and Jet2 (4.82%).
In Funchal, the main capacity increases compared to August 2024 come from Ryanair: +16,026 seats (+69.56%), with reinforcements on existing routes (such as London-Stansted, Lisbon, and Porto) and new operations from Shannon, Edinburgh, and Milan-Malpensa. easyJet Europe: +14,150 seats (+34.43%), with reinforced routes to Lisbon, Porto, and Paris-CDG, as well as new connections to Amsterdam and Nantes; TAP: +4,406 seats (+9.29%), with increases in flights from Lisbon and Porto and the launch of the new Faro-Funchal route. Transavia France, Marabu, Discover Airlines, Jet2, and United Airlines are other airlines that contributed significantly, notably through new strategic connections and increased operations during the peak season.
Despite this growth, the Air Transport Observatory of the Madeira Regional Secretariat for Tourism, Environment, and Culture notes that there were some specific reductions. Iberia, for example, withdrew operations from Santiago de Compostela and Seville, reducing its total capacity by 2,997 seats (-35.35%). Azores Airlines discontinued its intercontinental connections (JFK, Boston, and Toronto), and Condor transferred part of its operations to the new Marabu airline. Lufthansa, in turn, stopped operating the Munich-Funchal route directly, which is now operated by Discover Airlines.