Transport in Madeira

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The busy port of Funchal 2011-03-05 03-13 Madeira 122 Funchal, Hafen.jpg
The busy port of Funchal

The Madeira islands and Funchal have an extensive public transportation system. Travel between the two main islands is by plane or by ferries, the latter also allowing for the transportation of vehicles. Visiting the interior of the islands is now easy, due to major road developments, known as the Vias rápidas, on the islands during Portugal's economic boom.

Contents

European Union citizens of the Schengen Treaty area can enter the islands freely, while those from other regions need identification.

Human-powered transport

Hammock litter with porters in Madeira, 1821 A History of Madeira, 1821, P 107.jpg
Hammock litter with porters in Madeira, 1821

In the past Madeira had a mode of transport that no longer exists called a hammock litter. It was introduced by Robert Reid Kalley in the 19th century.

Air transport

The islands have two airports, one in Santa Cruz (known as Funchal Airport (FNC)) on the Island of Madeira and the other in the city of Vila Baleira on Porto Santo Island. Flights to the islands are mostly made from Lisbon and Porto, but there are also direct flights from other major European cities and other countries, like Brazil, Venezuela and South Africa.

The first seaplane to land in Madeira was Felixstowe F.3, captained Carlos Viegas Gago Coutinho by on 22 March 1921, Madeira then had regular Seaplane services from 1949 to 1958 which were operated by Aquila Airways, which had flights from Southampton, Jersey and Lisbon to Madeira. Winston Churchill used the service regularly. Captain Harry Frank Broadbent who flew as captain for Aquila Airways, then worked for ARTOP Linhas Aéreas as an instructor pilot, ARTOP took over the route in 1958, also operated seaplanes from Lisbon to Madeira.

On 9 November 1958, Captain Harry Frank Broadbent accompanied by co-pilot Thomas Rowell, four other crew and 30 passengers, piloted Martin PBM Mariner (CS-THB, named "Porto Santo") owned by ARTOP Linhas Aéreas, from Cabo Ruivo Seaplane Base near Lisbon, headed for Funchal.

Funchal Airport runway in 1990 Madeira Funchal landing strip 1990.jpg
Funchal Airport runway in 1990

About an hour into the flight, when it would have been over the Atlantic Ocean about 280 kilometres (150 nautical miles) southwest of Lisbon, a radio message code "QUG" was received, meaning "I am forced to land immediately". After several days of searching by air and sea by US and Portuguese authorities, no further trace was found of the aircraft or its crew or passengers. [1] [2]

Funchal Airport became operative in July 1964. It was dreaded among airliner pilots for its runway, which was not only short (the largest planes that could be accommodated were the Airbus A320 and Boeing 737) but was also built on a high embankment which fell away abruptly towards the sea. It often experienced updrafts which tended to lift landing aircraft in an unpredictable fashion. In an accident on November 19, 1977 that killed over 150 people, TAP Portugal Flight 425, landing in unfavorable weather, overshot the runway and dropped off the cliff. Subsequently, the runway was realigned and extended from 1,800m to 2,481m, enabling most modern passenger airplanes (including the Boeing 747-400) to visit the island.

Water transport

The Port of Funchal was the only major port in Madeira until 2007 when it became fully dedicated to passenger transport – cruise ships and ferries – and other tourist-related boats and yachts. In that year all remaining fishing activity and cargo trade was moved to the newly developed port of Caniçal, 19 km (12 mi) to the east. [3]

A ferry service between Funchal and Portimão, on the mainland, provided by Naviera Armas sailed weekly from 2008, but was discontinued in 2013 due to a dispute over harbour fees. In the summer of 2018 it was re-instated, but as a seasonal service from July to September, being operated by Grupo Sousa using Naviera Armas's ship called Volcán de Tijarafe, that provided the crossing prior to the 2013 discontinuation, with a maximum speed of 23 kn (43 km/h) the crossing takes around 24 hours. [4] [5]

A ferry called Lobo Marinho runs in two hours between Funchal and Porto Santo Island. [6]

Funchal is frequently used as a stop-over by transatlantic ships, en route from Europe to the Caribbean, as it is the northernmost Atlantic island that lies in the path of the Westerlies.

Cable transport

In Funchal there are two aerial tramways, the Funchal Cable Car and a second aerial tramway, which went in service in 2005. [7]

Previously there was a steam-powered cog railway (Monte Railway) [8] from Funchal to Monte, which operated between 1893 and 1943, and went further up to Terreiro da Luta at 867 m above sea level.

Land transport

Bus companies such as Horários do Funchal, Rodoeste and SAM (Sociedade de automóveis da Madeira) have been operating for over one hundred years, and they have regularly scheduled routes to all points of interest on the island.

The Direcção Regional dos Transportes Terrestres is the department of the regional government responsible for land transportation in the autonomous region. [9]

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Madeira Portuguese archipelago in the North Atlantic

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Funchal Municipality in Madeira, Portugal

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Lisbon Airport International airport serving Lisbon, Portugal

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Aerocondor 1975–2009 airline in Portugal

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Porto Airport International airport near Porto, Portugal

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João Paulo II Airport Airport in Relva

Ponta Delgada - João Paulo II Airport, named after Pope John Paul II, is an international airport located on the island of São Miguel, in the Portuguese archipelago of the Azores. Situated 2 km (1.2 mi) west of the city centre of Ponta Delgada, it is the primary airport in the Azores, as well as the fifth largest infrastructure managed by ANA Aeroportos de Portugal. The terminal was finished in 1995; by 2005 the airport served a total of 873,500 passengers. It has scheduled domestic flights to all islands of the Azores, plus Madeira and the mainland, namely. João Paulo II Airport also accommodates international flights to and from Europe and North America. The airport is the major hub for the SATA Group of airlines, which includes both inter-island SATA Air Açores and international Azores Airlines, and since April 2015 as a base for Ryanair.

Madeira Airport International airport in Santa Cruz, Madeira, Portugal

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Santa Maria Airport (Azores) International airport serving Vila do Porto, Santa Maria Island, the Azores

Santa Maria Airport is an international airport located 5 km (3.1 mi) west northwest of the urbanized area of Vila do Porto on the island of Santa Maria, in the Portuguese autonomous region of the Azores. A principal hub in transatlantic travel until the end of the 20th century, it was constructed at the start of the Second World War to protect convoys by American troops who were ceded authority until its end. From this period on, the airfield took on a commercial role, reinforced by inter-island travel and connections to Europe, resulting in its obtaining the communication duties for the North Atlantic sector of the airspace corridor.

Porto Santo Airport Airport in Vila Baleira

Porto Santo Airport is an airport located in Vila Baleira, the capital of Porto Santo Island, Madeira. The military Maneuver Aerodrome no 3 or AM3 is co-located with the civilian Porto Santo Airport.

Pestana Group Portuguese tourism and leisure group

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TAP Flight 425 1977 aviation accident

TAP Flight 425 was a regular flight from Brussels, Belgium, to Santa Catarina Airport, Portugal, with an intermediate scheduled stop in Lisbon. On November 19, 1977, the Boeing 727 operating the service overran the airport's runway before crashing onto the nearby beach and exploding, killing 131 of the 164 people on board. It remains TAP's only fatal accident in its history.

SA de Transport Aérien Flight 730 1977 aviation accident

SA de Transport Aérien Flight 730 was a Sud Aviation SE-210 Caravelle 10R aircraft, registered as HB-ICK, that crashed on approach to Funchal Airport, Madeira, on December 18, 1977.

Naviera Armas Shipping company of Canarian origin, founded 1940

Naviera Armas is a Spanish company, founded in the 1940s, which operates a number of ferry services in Spain. The company mainly operates in the Canary Islands, with additional routes connecting the Canary Islands and the north African coast to the Spanish mainland. As of August 2019, the company operates a fleet of 11 ferries and 5 fast ferries.

TAP Air Portugal is the state-owned flag carrier airline of Portugal, headquartered at Lisbon Airport which also serves as its hub. TAP – Transportes Aéreos Portugueses – has been a member of the Star Alliance since 2005 and operates on average 2,500 flights a week to 90 destinations in 34 countries worldwide. The company has a fleet of 100 aircraft, all of which are manufactured by Airbus with the exception of 22 aircraft manufactured by Embraer and ATR, operating on behalf of the regional airline TAP Express.

Harry Frank "Jim" Broadbent was a British pilot largely raised in Australia, who took part in air racing and record-breaking flights in the 1930s.

Cabo Ruivo Seaplane Base was an international airport for seaplanes located in the city of Lisbon, the capital of Portugal. It takes its name from the Lisbon neighbourhood of Cabo Ruivo. The airport was, especially throughout the Second World War, a major gateway and escape route for intercontinental airtravel.

The following is a timeline of the history of the city of Funchal, Madeira, Portugal.

Port of Funchal Port in Portugal

The Port of Funchal is the port and harbour of Funchal and is frequently used as a stop-over by transatlantic ships, en route from Europe to the Caribbean, as it is the northernmost Atlantic island that lies in the path of the Westerlies.

References

  1. ↑ ASN Aircraft accident Martin PBM-5 Mariner CS-THB North Atlantic Ocean
  2. ↑ 1958 / NOV / 09 - Accident with the Seaplane - CS-THB - disappeared between Lisbon and Funchal GIAA Final Report (in Portuguese)
  3. ↑ "Portos da Madeira" (in Portuguese). Administração dos Portos da Região Autónoma da Madeira. Archived from the original on 15 April 2012.
  4. ↑ "Ferry Madeira-Portimão: Bilhetes disponíveis a partir de hoje A primeira viagem realiza-se a 2 de julho mas os bilhetes vão estar disponíveis já a partir desta terça-feira (Vídeo)" . Retrieved 2018-06-13.
  5. ↑ "Maritime trips Portimão - Madeira - Canárias" . Retrieved 2018-06-13.
  6. ↑ "madeira-web.com – Things to do: "Lobo Marinho"". madeira-web.com. Archived from the original on 12 September 2017. Retrieved 2 May 2018.
  7. ↑ Madeira on seilbahn.net Archived 2008-12-26 at the Wayback Machine
  8. ↑ Monte Railway at madeira-web.com
  9. ↑ Portal do Cidadão. "Direcção Regional dos Transportes Terrestres". portaldocidadao.pt (in Portuguese). Retrieved 2008-04-12.

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