Update with new content, March 10, 2022
covid aftermath
On the tail end of the pandemic, we see airlines quickly picking up where they left off in 2019. The number of flights has increased and now exceed the connections we used to have before the nasty covid period.
Madeira has dropped all travel restrictions, and the covid measures that are still in place are almost rudimentary. The page about them has shrunk considerably, but it will remain in place as long as there are any covid measures that still apply.
updates.
This page is, as someone commented, a living and morphing thing. And so it should be, and that goes for any web page. Things change and new information becomes available. I’d like to express a huge Thank You to all those who have commented. In uncertain covid times these helped many to find their way in the labyrinth of changing flights and conditions. Now that we are more or less back on track I have removed all the old comments as they belonged to those days and are no longer relevant.
New comments are, as always, more than welcome. If you have any extra information, or if you see things that need correction, do not hesitate and leave your comment at the bottom of the page. All questions will be answered, too. We don’t know everything, but we have a lot of sources of information so we may be able to find out what we don’t know!
information per country or per airport: jump to where you want to go!
I have tried to separate flight information per airport. To make it easier for you to find what you are looking for, you can now jump to the section you need by clicking on the links here: London, Manchester, Birmingham, Scotland, Newcastle, Bristol, East Midlands, Leeds-Bradford, at present the British airports with direct links to Madeira scheduled. Or you can jump to the sections for the USA, Ireland, Germany, The Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Scandinavia and Finland, Poland, Austria, Switzerland, France, Czech Republic and Slovakia, Romania, Italy and Spain.
Great Britain
London airports
New in 2022 is the Ryanair line from Stansted with daily flights to Madeira. Jet2.com also flies from Stansted, usually on Mondays and Fridays. From Heathrow, British Airways have daily flights to Funchal again. From Gatwick, EasyJet has daily flights to Madeira. The Hungarian carrier WizzAir advertises flights from Gatwick on Mondays, Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturdays and from Luton on Mondays, Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturdays as well.
Manchester
Jet2 has scheduled 2 weekly flights, usually on Mondays and Fridays, in April, November and December sometimes on Saturdays, too. Ryanair now has flights to Madeira on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Tui Airways also flies from Manchester on Mondays and Fridays.
Birmingham
Jet2.com and Tui Airways both have two weekly flights from Birmingham, on Monday and Friday.
Scotland
From both Edinburgh and Glasgow, Jet2.com have weekly flights on Monday.
Newcastle
From Newcastle, Jet2.com flies to Madeira on Mondays.
Bristol
Easyjet flies from Bristol to Funchal twice a week on Mondays and Thursdays. Jet2.com has a flight to Madeira every Monday.
East Midlands
Jet2.com flies from East Midlands to Funchal every Monday.
Jet2.com operates a weekly flight to Madeira on Sundays.
Leeds-Bradford
United States of America
The Azores Airlines SATA has opened a new line, the first intercontinental connection to Madeira. On Mondays, you can fly to and from New York JFK.
Ireland
The wait is over. Ryanair has been working for many years on trying to get acceptable conditions from the Madeiran Airport authorities, and finally it pays off. In spring 2022, they open no less than ten lines to Madeira. One of them is to Dublin. Twice a week, on Wednesdays and Sundays.
Germany
TUI, Condor Flugdienst and Eurowings have direct flights to Madeira. Most major German airports have a direct connection to Funchal. The detailed information can be found on our German website here.
The Netherlands
Transavia has increased their service to five flights a week from Amsterdam, on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday. TUI Nederland is also offering flights, but they are operated by Transavia.
Belgium
From Brussels, TUI has flights to Madeira on Saturdays, changing from April, when it will be on Monday and Friday. F
New in 2022 is the Ryanair service on Sundays and Thursdays from Charleroi. Ryanair insists on calling this airport Brussels South, but we know the geographical situation and honestly, that´s pushing it.
Luxembourg
From Luxembourg-City you can fly to Madeira twice a week on Mondays and Wednesdays, and in winter, they add Saturdays as well (from October till March)
Scandinavia and Finland
Norwegian Airways have services from both Oslo and from Copenhagen. From Oslo, there are flights on Tuesdays, sometimes also on Saturdays, the service from Copenhagen is on Saturdays.
At present, there are no direct flights from Sweden to Madeira. However, there are decent connections with one stop in Amsterdam or in Lisbon.
Finnair has almost daily flights from Helsinki to Funchal. However, the information is not very clear, their website has no decent timetable and even skyscanner.com gives confusing information. It’s best to actually check if there is a flight on the date you want to fly. If there is no direct flight, you can always travel via Lisbon, which is not too complicated.
Poland
Enter Air offers weekly flights from Warsaw on Tuesdays. We have actually seen Enter Air flights depart on Saturday, one to Warsaw and one to Katowice, but strangely, they are not findable in their website. Maybe it is worth a try for Polish travellers to give the office a ring to find out.
Austria
Austrian Airways have a weekly service to Madeira, on Sundays till the end of June. From early July this changes into Thursdays.
Switzerland
On Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, you can take a direct Edelweiss flight from Zürich to Funchal. Swiss Airlines also offers flights, but they are operated by Edelweiss.
France
Like Amsterdam, three French airports are connected to Funchal by Transavia Airlines. There are direct flights from Paris Orly, Lyon and Nantes. Paris-Orly has daily direct flights to Madeira. From Lyon, there are flights on Tuesdays and Saturdays. From Nantes you can fly to Madeira on Tuesday and Saturday. Some of the French Transavia flights make a stop in Porto. New in 2022 is the Ryanair line from Marseille-Provence on Tuesdays and Saturdays. Another new Ryanair connection connects Madeira to Beauvais with flights on Mondays and Fridays.
Czech Republic and Slovakia.
Czech Airlines offer direct flights from Prague on Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays. Smartwings offer flights on exactly the same days. It is probable that Czech Airlines operate the Smartwings flights, or the other way around. Unfortunately for Slovakians, there is no practical way to get from Bratislava to Funchal. The best bet is to travel via Prague or Vienna, or even to Munich, as a flight with 2 or more stops is hardly feasible.
Romania
Another new connection in 2022 is the summer service of Blue Air from Bucharest Otopeni on Saturdays. The service started mid April and is scheduled till the end of October.
Italy
Italy, at last, has a direct connection with Funchal now that Ryanair has opened a line from Bergamo. They insist on calling this airport Milan-Bergamo. That is a bit shameless and really, really pushing it. The more southern regions of Italy might still rather use a connection via Lisbon or Porto.
Spain
The Spanish mainland has no direct connections with Madeira at present. For now, only Gran Canaria and Tenerife have direct flights to Madeira. But there are excellent connections to be found from the major Spanish airports to either Lisbon or Porto, so a one-stop connection should not be too difficult to find.
flying to Madeira with a stop
Why not fly via Lisbon or Porto? Many direct flights from European cities have a habit of leaving at an ungodly hour. Therefore, many prefer the hassle of a stop in Lisbon over losing a good night’s sleep, thus really losing the first day of their stay on Madeira for pure exhaustion. There now is a wide choice, as TAP, Ryanair and EasyJet operate flights between Madeira and Lisbon and Porto. Wherever you are leaving from, you always have a stop in either Lisbon or in Porto. For those with plenty of time, this may be a bonus. Both cities are really worth a stay, but of course, you will need a hotel and meals are not free. On the other hand, it makes using cheap carriers a lot less tricky, as the risk of missing a connecting flight would be much reduced.
limited transfer time
If you decide to fly with TAP Portugal but without a stopover, usually, TAP has connecting flights with a limited wait in Lisbon or Porto. Sometimes, the transfer time is less than an hour. That should not be a problem, but if you arrive in Lisbon or in Porto a bit late, you may still catch your connecting flight, but your bags may not. It is not a huge problem, because the bags will turn up and TAP will deliver them at your holiday residence. Still, it is annoying, especially if you did not think to put some emergency undies and a spare shirt in your hand luggage.
booking advice: you want to read this.
Whatever you book, avoid separate bookings for parts of your trip. If one of the flights is cancelled or seriously delayed, you lose the part of the trip you miss, without any right of compensation. Book all flights in one single booking and they have to take care of you getting to your destination. Check with the airline if this applies, as low-cost carriers like Ryanair and EasyJet have clauses that exclude this.
not good with the internet? use a travel agent
If you are not very good with internet bookings, you can use a reputable travel agent. They have the same tricks we use with Skyscanner, so they will be able to get you a decent deal, though. Make sure not to choose an obscure one that has no ties with any recognised organisation that would secure refunds in case things go t*ts up.
disclaimer, just to make sure you won’t try and sue me
All the flights I found and mentioned are flights that I can actually book on this day. I have put in a lot of hours researching possible ways to travel to Madeira, primarily, of course, as a service to those who consider renting our beautiful house for their holidays. But I am pleased that many others have also found their way to this page. If you find a flight that suits you, check and double-check and don’t thank me for all my work by blaming me if things do not quite work out. However, if I can be of any help answering specific travel-related questions, I will be happy to do so. Just ask in the comments below, so that others may find your questions and my answers useful as well. And if anyone has information to add, or finds that some of my information is not correct, please leave your comment below. It can only help to improve the information.
another trick to find a flight
There are many possibilities to fly to Madeira. Since we came to Madeira for the first time in 2007, we have found a large number of affordable flights to Madeira from the Netherlands and from other countries. So we have done our research, and we will keep doing that, as things change rather often. One of the simplest things to do is to search for (cheap) flights using Skyscanner. Clicking on the Skyscanner logo below takes you to their site.
ferry?
Should you wonder if there is a ferry to Madeira, I have to disappoint you. Corruption and favouring the big Madeira monopolist Grupo Sousa have successfully shot the very useful ferry service down. Money before people. Yes, that is a scandal. And yes, I have written the story down in this article.
rental car?
If you are staying outside the Funchal area, you will want to have your own transport. We have done the research and made a page with tips and tricks about finding the right car.
what do you mean, dangerous?
Finally, a word about Madeira’s Christiano Ronaldo International Airport. Sensationalist stories keep going around and around on the Internet that Madeira has one of the most dangerous airports in the world. Maybe it was, a long time ago. But the runway was more than doubled in the year 2000 and since then, the airport is safer than ever. The last accident dates all the way back to 1977 when the runway was still very short. More importantly, the accident was caused by an exhausted crew that landed after two go-arounds in bad weather and the plane crashed when it shot off the end of the runway.
happy landing!
Aviation regulations are quite sharp, and the airport today is a very safe island airport. Like with any mountainous island, the airport can be affected by strong winds. In that case, the plane is safely diverted to another airport in the region. Annoying, yes, but better safe than sorry. In good weather, the wind is usually a light Northeasterly, and the plane will fly past the airport, which is very well visible to the right, and then make a U-turn and land from the Southwest. We found a Youtube video of an Airbus 320 landing. With the Boeing 737, this type of aircraft is mostly used for flights to Madeira. Get in the cockpit with us and enjoy a perfect landing!
In the background of this page, we show you the Freira da Madeira, an extremely endangered sea bird, called Zino’s Petrel in English. This bird was believed to be extinct until it was rediscovered in the late 1960s. It breeds exclusively in a small number of inaccessible ledges high in the mountains of Madeira between the Pico Ruivo and the Pico Arieiro.
This page was updated on January 18, 2021.
Thank you for excellent information. When I fly to Sweden I always fly Funchal-Amsterdam with Transavia and then KLM to Arlanda or Linköping. I don’t know if it work at the moment.
No, not at the moment Carina. Transavia has no flights scheduled until March 30, 2021. If you need to fly earlier TAP may be your best bet. Though I would stay put for now, if you possibly can.
‘Ello Peter,
Excellent organisation of the most up to date flight information. Thanks to all of your efforts here, I was prepared when I came through the system arriving in Madeira in the first week of September. The organisation at Madeira Airport is brilliant with loads of helpful staff, and the whole system is well thought through and tip-top.
Tips for others: Register and fill out the Madeira Safe online form the day before you travel and don’t worry about a couple of the questions asking whether you’ve come from a ‘place/area’ with Covid – they’re really not bothered about those bits. But do make sure you enter and remember your chosen password correctly, as you only get one shot when setting it up.
At FNC, when you emerge past the hire car offices, you are directed just outside by the Ronaldo statue into a cordoned-off (covered) area for your Covid test. Free water and banana handed to you (thoughtful touch and typical of Madeiran hospitality), then your Madeira Safe QR code is taken and mobile number/email confirmed for the result. Then you are guided for your test in thoroughly cleaned cabins. The whole lot took only minutes and I was through it all in less than half an hour from touch down.
Results came via email early the next morning – Sunday for me, after an on time Saturday evening landing. Plane was pretty full with a few empty seats dotted about.
In central Funchal, everyone wears a mask when they go into a building (shops, etc.) but most in the street don’t bother. I’ve found it about as busy as pre-Covid and most places are still open. Only spotted a couple of shops and restaurants which haven’t survived.
Good wishes to all of you
Steve
Hi, just found your site, which is extreme;y helpful,
I’ve submitted a compensation claim to Easy Jet for delayed flight on 10th September. I’m sure they will reject due to exceptional circumstances, but as stated FNC fully operational on that day and only EasyJet seemed to have a problem. As a backup I also feel they will claim flight landed within less than a three hours delay. Yes the flight did touch down within the three hours, but there is an EU ruling ( https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A62013CJ0452 ) that specifies landing time as when the aircraft doors are opened, and in my case that took it past three hours. Whilst I’m sure it may take a long time I am confident I will eventually get my compensation.
On a separate note, it may be worth pointing out that if flying to FNC via the Portuguese mainland the transiting passengers may need to go through security, and I have seen some who bought duty-free at the original departure airport having it taken away because it exceeded the allowance.
Well done, John. easyJet is really stretching the ‘exceptional circumstances’- thing to beyond its limits. I can understand why they prefer not to run the risk of having to circle endlessly and then divert, having to pay for hotel rooms and meals in such a difficult year, but this is really pushing it. I remember that day when easyJet has been disrupting the airport’s operations with delays that were entirely caused by them for no reason that lies even near exceptional circumstances.
You can fly to Linköping in Sweden via Amsterdam. Transavia Funchal-Amsterdam and KLM Amsterdam-Linköping.
Thank you, Carina. I am sure there are other indirect possibilities as well. Arlanda has a connection to Lisbon where you can take one of the numerous flights to Madeira. I know my overview is far from complete. I have tried to suggest direct connections, also in view of the covid-19 pandemic, and I only have given some indirect suggestions for countries that used to have but no longer have direct flights at present. As for Amsterdam, mind that most Transavia flights to Madeira leave at an ungodly hour, far too early to catch if you arrive from Sweden or anywhere else. Only the Saturday flight leaves in the early afternoon and is usable as a connection.
Hi Peter. We are booked to fly in November from Scotland. We expect to be in quarantine on our return because the Scottish Government doesn’t realise Madeira is not a Canary?
Or part of the mainland of Portugal!
Thank you for your advice and support
Indeed. I could name some UK governors of whom one could expect such stupidity. I never thought the Scottish government to be so ignorant.
Here Here
What is the current coved 19 transmission rate in Madeira as of today’s date? Thanks Norrie Cumming
There is no local transmission at present, Norie. All new cases are of people arriving at the airport where everyone is tested courtesy of Madeira. So, I think it is correct to say that the actual transmission rate here is 0,0. That is also the reason that people who test positive have to be quarantined. We don’t want any other figure than 0,0 here.
Hi Colin We are flying out from Edinburgh 16th November. Sturgeon hasn’t as far as I know made any Comment. I believe she has a Villa in Portugal so possibly including Madeira is of no interest to her or her Lackies!!
If you are flying on the 16th we will be in our usual seats extreme rear right. Say Ola on the way too the Loo?
Hello David,
for an unknown reason, your comment had landed in the trash folder. I discovered and restored it. Sorry for the delay.
Hello,
I’m writing to see if either you or any of your readers may be able to offer me some help please.
After a wonderful stay in Maderia for a week we were due to fly back with Easy Jet on Mon 24th August to Manchester. However we received a text the day prior to say that our flight had been delayed until the Tues 25th. The reason provided was ‘exceptional circumstances’ & having contacted Easy Jet Since our return they have said it was due to high winds. However from what we can gather other flights landed and departed that day and we were also informed by some of the locals that the winds were not particularly high. We were also told on the day we actually flew that the wind speeds etc were the same as Monday….
Having done a little research (albeit basic) it appears that Easy Jet are not strangers to using ‘exceptional circumstances’ as a get out clause for compensation etc but I may be wrong?
What would be a huge help to me is if anyone can clarify whether ‘exceptional circumstances’ were truly in play on Mon 24th August at Funchal Airport and whether anyone who is far more informed then me can determine whether flights were still landing/departing etc.
Any other relevant info that may help me determine if Easy Jet have stretched the truth somewhat or whether it’s a case of me getting a little to sceptical with age would be greatly appreciated.
Thanking you in advance,
Vicky
Hi Vicky, I know that on that day, only easyJet has cancelled flights. They did that long before they were due to land in Madeira, probably to avoid having to corcle for ages and then divert to another airport. So they canceled/postponed their flights to avoid possible wxceptional circimstances, not because there were any at the time.of cancellation/postponement. As it is difficult to find out the way to get your compensation, I would suggest you use the services of dedicated web-co0panies, who deal with your claim on a no-cure-no-pay basis.
I found a useful link: https://www.flightright.com/your-rights/eu-regulation
Whatever the result, easyJet has to pay for your extra night’s accomodation if they did not organise it for you.
Rest assured, there is jurisdiction about this, and I really think you are entitled to compensation as to my knowledge, every scheduled flight has been able to land that day, except the eaasyJet flights who had been cancelled beforehand. I don’t think they can use possible adverse wather conditions as ‘exceptional circumstances’ if these conditions did not in fact materialise.
Hello Peter,
Once again many thanks for your helpful and insightful response. I will continue to challenge their ‘exceptional circumstances’ and if I have little success will go through a company more specialised to do so. I believe Easy Jet may rely on passengers not challenging such decisions so I’ll certainly give it a go and keep you all posted.
Once again many thanks for your continued work and responses on this site – it is very much appreciated by so many of us.
Thank you, Vicky. Good luck and go-get ‘um. Do let us know here how you fare.
I flew into Madeira on the 24th, Jet 2, the evening arrival about 19.30. We circled at first waiting for a drop in the wind, Pilot apologised and said it was down to the Airport ruling, we then tried to land, if we had it would have been halfway along the runway, went back up and circled for ten minutes, aprox, again. Landed at second attempt, worst landing I’ve had and I first came out in 1968, this must be my 60th trip. The most surprising part was our walk from the aircraft across to the airport buildings, the wind was strong enough for us to lean into it. A first.
Hi George, thanks for sharing this. For an unknown reason, your comment landed in the trash folder. I discovered it just now and restored it. Sorry for the delay it caused.
Hi Peter,
Just to let you know that someone is still coming here to read this and that all of your ongoing effort still has great value – at very least, to me. Have read through everything here again and find it an excellent one-stop-shop.
The ‘beautiful brochure’ you refer to has the link strikethrough – is that because the brochure has been completely removed for ever? And someone mentioned to me that they had heard the Aerobus might be starting again very soon. This could be just a rumour – I’m afraid I don’t know any more.
Anyway, mostly wanted to say thanks again as it has been a while since I last posted here.
Very good wishes to you
Steve
Hi Steve,
Super nice of you to give me this thumbs-up message. I know the page is still viewed 25 times a day on average, my Google Analytics tells me so. Still, I have started reworking the page, as the numerous updates and additions have made it too long and too difficult to properly read.
About the Aerobus, sorry, that one really escaped my memory. It is actually running again. We saw it when driving on the motorway the other day. Actually, we could not have missed it, as it pulled out to my lane just if front of me and I could only just avoid a collision.
Keep reading me. I am working on an article about life in general here and how the covid measures affect it. It will probably come out next week. Stay safe and healthy. thanks again,
cheers!
Peter
Any news on Easy Jet from Manchester? We are due to fly out on the 21st Aug – it’s been showing as ok until today and now we’ve got the ominous sold out on their schedule?
Hi Vicky, It may not be quite as ominous as it seems. We know they easyJet has been abusing the term ‘sold out’ to avoid getting more bookings on a flight that is likely to be cancelled. However, in August, it is just the flight leaving on the 21st that is indicated as ‘sold out’, so maybe it is indeed sold out. The flights earlier and later in August are still bookable. What does worry me, is that I can’t book the flight from Funchal to Manchester on that easyJet plane either. It says ‘sold out’ as well, so either it is really sold out, or there are so few seats sold that they plan to cancel the flight altogether. It’s difficult to say, and the fact the British government does not get on with taking Madeira of the list of risky countries does not help at all. Also, it does not at all do justice to the extremely favourable covid-19 situation on the island, as opposed to the one in the UK.
But back to your flights: the only ones who could tell you are easyJet. I’d try to contact them even if it’s difficult to get through. Good Luck! If I get any useful information I will put it on immediately.
Hi,
I just wanted to let you know that we received the email last night from easy jet to say the flight from Manchester to Funchal on the 21st is cancelled. We have rebooked to come out on the 17th now instead so let’s hope they don’t cancel that one too…
It did look like the easyJet flight of the 21st was the only one that had the ‘sold out’ notification. The others were still bookable when I looked last night. So this time I think I can wish you a good journey! Stay safe!
Hi Peter
Thank you for your hard work keeping the flight information up to date.
Here is another flight update from the UK
We were due to fly to Madeira as a package holiday with Jet2 from Newcastle on 22nd October we have just been told that our flights have been cancelled as Jet2 have cancelled their full summer programme from Newcastle.
The first flight or package holiday available from Newcastle is now 29th October.
Good luck!
Victoria
Hi
Thanks for all the info. You are doing a brilliant job.
We had our Jet2 flights from Manchester to Funchal for 3rd of August cancelled yesterday by Jet2.
So sorry to hear they cancelled your flight David, and thank you for telling me. Jet2 have got to get their act together. Your flight is still bookable on their website, as are the flights on July 20 and 27. alter the page accordingly. It is bad enough that they have cancelled your flight, but they really have to update their information before they do. This is infuriating! I have altered the page in order to warn users for this conduct of Jet2.
Thanks a lot for sharing all this information. One thing not clear to me: If we move to our house, and learn later that we are positive and need to quarantine, do we have to move from our house to the hotel ?
Again, thanks a lot for the time you invested,
Reinhard
I am afraid so, Reinhard. If you would self Quarantine at home, you would still need to go shopping for food, thus being in close contact with others. This is something the island authorities want to avoid.
Ha! I didn’t dare suggest such a labour-intensive way of highlighting changes, but that is absolutely the clearest way for readers to quickly find updates in the article right up top. Such a good method of doing it that it doesn’t even need to be in red, if you think that detracts.
I have now removed the red apart from the header. Do you think it still serves the purpose? It looks better, but again, it’s the usability that really should come first.
Thanks again
Peter
Very good, Peter. I think that having the date updated up top gives people the assurance that the information is being checked and improved – especially new visitors. And the links to the sections where things have been changed serves a dual purpose for readers to be able to easily navigate all the information. Far better than my suggestion, nice touch crediting those who have contributed, and the aesthetic design of your site has not been compromised.
Links I’ve checked are working – there is a full page reload for me, rather than an instant hop to the specific section. Excellent stuff, all very clear, well-organised, and brilliantly written.
Hi Peter,
Just had a thought for the future which might be helpful for regular readers of this post who keep returning. As information changes and you update, are you able to put new changes in a different colour or highlight them in any way? Obviously in keeping with the design and style of your website. It would assist with people being able to more easily spot (especially small fact or detail) changes so they’re not overlooking them.
Excellent, diligent work on this – thank you once again
Steve
Hi Steve, I had been thinking about that as well. I have altered the sequence, putting the updates on top of the page and linking the altered items to the sections involved. Tell me if this works. It’s good to have someone not biased (if you write a text or make a page it’s a little bit of ‘your baby’) having a look at things. I value the looks of the site very much, but if it doesn’t work for the users it needs attention. Thanks for helping!
Peter
Peter,
Good morning.
We are returning to Madeira for on month after our first holiday on the island last year.
Due on TAP flight 2nd July, expensive yes, but no alternative. Had to change flight and airline four times before this flight. Do you know if the airport bus will restart their service by then please?
Thanks
Bob Slack
Sorry I did not notice your question earlier, Bob. At this moment, the SAM Aerobus website still have an announcement saying that their service has been suspended. This dates from March. However, I suspect they will resume their service when flights start coming in again. I will try and find out via other sources if the suspension is still in place.
Hi Bob,
I received an answer from SAM, the company operating the AEROBUS service. They had no information about when they would be allowed to resume the service, but they were very helpful in telling me there still is the regular bus service to Funchal from the airport. I have put the timetable they sent me on the dedicated page for bus transport. You can find it at the bottom of this page.
Peter, Jet2 also flies direct from Leeds Bradford Airport on a Sunday. Really enjoy keeping up to date with the flight situation. Currently here, should be going home tomorrow but decided to stay an extra week.
Thank you Sally, I will work that information into the page. Good for you that you decided to stay a little longer. Are you sure you want to go back at all? 😉
Hi Peter,
I booked my flights with easyjet in March, while we were in lockdown from Manchester for £60 total including hold luggage. I agree with Elaine that £250+ for flights is not inexpensive. As the insurance might not refund if they are cancelled I thought I would take the risk for that price. My accommodation is refundable in the case of COVID-19, so I won’t lose much.
Thanks for putting all this info on your website and tot ziens in Madeira
£60 is really very cheap. But neither you nor Elaine have told me when these cheap flights were scheduled. £250+ return is very reasonable in high season. I have seen flights of 500€ one way. You can’t compare apples with pears. Or bananas in our case. Good thing you get a refund for your accommodation.
Sorry Peter as I forgot to put my details in I had to write everything again and I forgot to fill in that my flights are last week October and end of first week November. Via Tobi I heard that Easyjet was having flights for £30 starting last week October till end of February 2021. My plan was to go a month earlier but the difference in price was so big that I took the chance. If you compare it with €500 you are right to say that €250 is inexpensive. I realise that summer flights are more expensive but sofas I have always come in autumn and winter
That’s what I mean. Off-season you can get cheap flights. In July and August you can forget about that.
Hi Peter,
Helluva job this – thank you for all the effort, which will be ongoing as well. I have posted a link to this on the Tripadvisor Madeira Islands forum and really should let you know that out of courtesy. If there is any issue with this, do say and I will remove it.
Very good luck with this
Steve
No problem whatsoever, Steve, and thanks for telling me. As you have seen, a lot of comments have been posted, with a number of updates that needed looking into. That’s done and the page has been updated. Cheers and stay safe!
Thank you so much.Very clearly put.I am coming out in Dec for the funchal lights.Does anyone know if they are going ahead.
I am 100% certain the lights & street decorations will be up and the New Year fireworks will go ahead. A bit more subdued than previous years. Not known how many, if any, cruise ships there will be.
More subdued? Maybe, but maybe not. The cruise ships are another matter. That industry will have a long uphill struggle to deal with before they can pick up their activities. It will be a sorry sight though, an empty bay of Funchal. Take care!
Let’s hope things have quieted down internationally by then, John. Nothing has been written yet about there not being Christmas lights and I can not see that happen, Maybe the funfair on the Praça do Povo will be cancelled, as that would concentrate large groups of people. But Funchal without lights for Christmas? Unthinkable. Stay safe!
Quarantine is going to be reduced to 7 days and it’s only if you refuse to get tested.
It’s not a matter of what’s legal and not legal, it’s a matter of public health.
If you don’t like it, don’t come.
Thank you, Luís. I have done some research in this matter. Indeed, there have been reports in the Jornal da Madeira that the quarantine has been reduced to one week, but it was difficult to find confirmation of this from any official source. When digging into the matter I found that now, after the first week of quarantine, a new test is done. Only if the person tests negative, he – or she – is free to go. I shall alter the article.
Hi, thank you for a most appreciated and informative article…brilliant
Just to let you know, at the end of next week at the earliest – Monday 29th June, the UK Prime Minister, will be making a televised announcement relating to travel, with the introduction of air bridges with countries with low case etc statistics. As a result, said air bridges are set to replace the current controversial 14 day post-holiday quarantine requirement, upon arrival in the UK.
On another positive note, the UK PM has today been in talks with the French President, amidst which they discussed the replacement of the present 14 day quarantine with the aforementioned air bridges.
All air bridges are said to be in place by early to mid July (latest) and of course, all being well the FCO will give the “green light” to travel.
I grwatly admire how the Madeiran government/local authorities, took an early grasp of the situation, to protect it’s citizens on the island, hence there having been no fatalities and very low confirmed cases.
Myself and husband very much look forward to visiting friends and family, as and when allowed to do so, adhering to all safety measures (we will have our masks,gels,wipes and above all common sense.
We look forward to also giving our much needed to the well deserving local businesses, who have been greatly affected by this situation.
Very interesting information, Liz. I am very interested to know hat these ‘air bridges’ entail. You speak about air bridges to countries with low numbers of covid-cases. It surprises me that these countries will allow air bridges with a country like the UK with a very high count. So it seems to me that the UK should not overly worry about people from relatively safe countries coming into the UK, but the relatively safe countries should very much worry about people coming from the UK entering theirs. The only (relatively) safe way would be testing travellers. Madeira takes care of this upon arrival, but the scary part is that travellers are sent on their merry way before the test result is known. It’s a devil’s dilemma. Madeira needs tourists but does not need the influx of positive covid-19 cases. Please keep me informed of the progress in this matter.
Extremely interesting and intriguing. Thanks again. Stay safe and take care.
After finishing the daily updates on the page, and answering all the comments, I have been doing a little research on the air bridge matter. I found there is a lot of misconception about this. This air bridge is apparently not meant to take British passengers abroad, but to bring foreign visitors into Britain from countries that have a ‘good covid-19 score”. Follow this link to some information that may well be relevant: here
Many thanks ,we have a family of 3 adults and 2 children booked for 20th. July ,holding out for a refund but Easy jet have said we can have to decided 21days before our departure whether to choose to book for another date ,we’re concerned about this as they could become insolvent in the meantime. We love Madeira and so want our family to enjoy it and get some money back in its economy. On the horns of a dilemma.
From which airport were you booked, Sue? Some airlines announced they will resume flying to Madeira by then, but I will keep monitoring the situation as best I can. Fingers crossed for your booked flights or refunds. And please, do keep me posted! It’s a dilemma indeed. Stay safe!
We are booked to fly to Madeira from Edinburgh 3rd August but see in your article no flights with Jet 2 from Edinburgh till 24th Aug.
Thank you for telling me, Ashley. I have already altered the information about Edinburg. My former information was based on Skyscanner not indicating the Jet2 flights on their calendar. Let me know if anything changes, please. Stay safe!
I am booked ex Glasgow 24th July ’20 with Jet2.
Oops. In the text about Scotland, it said Manchester. It should have been Glasgow, obviously. Your flight is announced on Skyscanner, and it’s bookable so you should be OK. Keep me informed if anything changes, please. Stay safe!
Very good article. The problem for the UK is that the FCO has stated that only essential travel is advised. This means that if you travel your insurance is null and void. I have booked a trip for next March and hope that things have improved by then. I should add that the FCO could give different advice at anytime.
That is a problem indeed, David. We had a guest waiting to book flights in November because the Dutch foreign ministry kept Madeira on orange travel alert. She waited exactly for the insurance problem reason. Yesterday, the code was altered from orange to yellow, so she booked now. Fingers crossed. Take care!
Hi Peter
Thank you very much for all your hard work regarding flights to Madeira, very much appreciated. I will wait until the end of the month to see how things are progressing with flights from Bristol.
Keep safe Brian.
Hi Brian, that is probably safest for now. I will try and keep this page up-to-date in the meantime. Especially I will try to keep track of easyJet’s practice concerning cancelling flights and stating ‘sold out’ where they aren’t. Keep safe.
Hello Email today 23/0720 from Jet2 our flight cancelled once again from Scotland no mention of rebooking at a later date. I don’t think they will be flying this year with or without air bridge, our flight was for August.
Trisha
Hi Trisha, sorry to hear your flight was cancelled again. It is in line with what Tobi already told me on July 18, saying that Jet2 cancelled all 2020 flights from Scotland. Very annoying they keep doing this. Any news about you getting a refund?
Stay safe,
Peter
Nice work Peter
Dank uw wel.
Eindelijk een duidelijk artikel waar alle informatie bij elkaar staat. Heel erg bedankt! Ons gezin heeft een vlucht gepland voor 10 augustus. Ik heb wat dingen gelezen over het feit dat de overheid van Madeira de kosten van een test wil vergoeden als die in het land van herkomst gedaan word. Weet u daar misschien iets meer over?
Dat was de bedoeling, Robin. De informatie is al op heel veel plekken voorbijgekomen, maar nergens verzameld. Dat leek me een goed idee. Als je mijn pagina goed leest zie je dat vanaf 1 juli iedereen die geen negatieve covid-tgest op zak heeft van maximaal 72 uur oud, gratis bij aankomst wordt getest op de luchthaven. Na het afnemen van de test mag je naar je eindbestemming doorreizen en het testresultaat krijg je binnen twaalf uur te horen, waarschijnlijk per telefoon. Als je positief test, moet je alsnog in quarantaine, ook weer op kosten van de Madeirense overheid.
My pleasure, Maurice. The first lot of updates are on already. Take care!
Thanks for your information.
we have a flight with Edelweiss booked for the 7.of July from Zurich.
Hope it will fly.
What is the meaning of a reliable Lab that does the testing before arrival.
Thanks for this, Gary It shows that Skyscanner is not infallible, as they did not indicate any direct flights to FNC. But I found it on the site of Edelweiss and adapted the information on the page. As for your question about a reliable lab. Yes, there is the catch. They want to accept tests done by recognised labs, but they do not specify which ones are recognised. Maybe best to have the test done upon arrival. It’s even free. Stay safe.
Hi, just to let you know our flight from Newcastle on the 30th July (jet2) officially cancelled. Spoke to a rep who confirmed jet2 newcastle flights cancelled for the forseeable. Indeed if you try to actually book a flight, nothing showing until October from Newcastle on their site. Thought I would share.
Hi Andrew and Peter, I’m picking up several suggestions that airlines which fly out of the UK seem to be pushing back their flights from some Northern airports to about October/November time, but I don’t have confirmation on this yet.
We will have to keep a close eye on the developments, Steve. Unfortunately, Jet2 does not have their act together, as I still find bookable flights in the Jet2 website that have already been cancelled. I have put in a ‘heads up’ in the sections for the northern airports of the UK. Very annoying that they keep publishing faulty information.
Sorry to read that your flight was cancelled and thank you for confirming what we already suspected, Andrew. The page has been altered accordingly.
Thank you very much for this information but I have disagree that prices from from Manchester to Funchal and back at £351 and £267 are inexpensive. In comparison to the cost of living and wages in the UK these prices are quite expensive for the average person. I always have in the past never paid more than £80 each way and usually much cheaper.
Interesting prices indeed, Elaine. Please share where you booked them, and also when you were travelling. I usually fly for much less as well, but then the flights I mention are in the middle of high season and frankly, I have seen a lot worse. Thanks for commenting anyway and keep me posted if you find any interesting fares. Stay safe!
Thank you this has been most informative.
We are hopefully coming out on the 31st of August
I am interested in getting my dogs back to UK
But only BA will fly them
Any news for July/August
I can’t find anything
Cheers
Dank u
I can’t find anything either, Peter. The BA website is a pain, as it does not let you try and book flights from Madeira to London. Only the other way around. Though would cause extra hassle, wouldn’t TAP as a national carrier be an alternative? All the bookable flights to London involve a stop in Lisbon. I have studied the information a bit, and it seems that on non-direct flights, no bookings for animals in the belly of the plane are accepted due to covid-19. Only animals that can be taken into the cabin are allowed on flights with a transfer. In other words, only smaller dogs can be transported. I will keep checking. Maybe you can try and talk to BA customer service.
Which airline are you using, Rebecca? Please let me know if there is any trouble!
Thank you very much this has been a most informative read.
We have a time share which i hope we can use on the 31st of August.
Thank you very much for sharing this information. We have flights booked for 4 adults and 4 kids from Bristol to Madeira on 16th of July. We will see what happens. Regards Marta
Unfortunately, Marta, your flight is one of the famous so-called ‘sold out’ easyJet flights. Let’s wait and see. I added a screenshot of what I found. They should contact you at least 21 days prior to departure in case of a change or, worse, a cancellation.
If no major problems arise with the tourists coming back to Madeira, there shouldn’t be a problem, Rebecca. Do come back to this page regularly, as there is bound to be ne information on a daily basis. Stay healthy!