A flight operated by TUI Airways that was flying from Manchester arrived successfully after an extensive 61-hour journey to Madeira, Portugal, which, on usual terms, is a four-hour journey.
Due to weather-related challenges, TUI Airways flight BY2536 from Manchester (MAN) to Funchal, Madeira (FNC), operated by Boeing 737-800 registered G-TAWM, eventually arrived after an extensive 61-hour journey.
According to Aviation 24, tough weather on Friday, January 12, prevented the flight from landing in Madeira, leading to a diversion to Porto Santo (PXO), where passengers had to spend a night at accommodation establishments.
Persistent bad weather in Madeira kept passengers stranded at the airport despite the flight operator’s early morning attempts to depart on Saturday, January 13. The situation got worse with heavy rain and poor visibility, leading to the flight diversion to Tenerife South (TFS).
A further attempt to fly to Funchal on the same day led to the flight returning to Tenerife, where passengers stayed the night at another hotel.
The flight eventually reached Madeira the next day, on January 14, at 21.16, which is two days and nine hours later than the originally scheduled arrival – a total of 61 hours after departing from Manchester.
The extended journey likely impacted passengers’ plans, raising questions about TUI’s handling of the situation.
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The poor weather in Portugal persists as the National Emergency and Civil Protection Authority (ANEPC) has reported a staggering 300 incidents attributed to adverse weather conditions, primarily affecting the Setúbal Peninsula and Porto Metropolitan Area. Between Tuesday afternoon and today’s morning, a total of 293 occurrences were recorded, with falling trees, flooding, and structural damage being the most frequent issues.
We recorded between 2 pm [on Tuesday], the time when the civil protection state of special alert began, and 7 am today, 293 occurrences within the scope of extreme meteorology, with the most affected regions being the Setúbal Peninsula and the Porto Metropolitan Area and the most frequent type of occurrence being falling trees, flooding, and falling structures.
The majority of incidents occurred in the Setúbal Peninsula and Porto Metropolitan Area, with 61 and 46 occurrences, respectively. On the good side, no casualties or serious damages have been reported, and roads remain open.
On Tuesday, more than 200 incidents were documented between 2:00 pm and 11:00 pm, with the majority involving falling trees or structures. The North region experienced 75 incidents, while the Setúbal Peninsula accounted for 53.
In addition, three districts in Portugal will be under an orange weather warning on Wednesday due to maritime unrest, according to the Portuguese Institute of the Sea and Atmosphere (IPMA).
In general, the south coast and mountainous regions of Madeira are under an orange warning for precipitation (between 01:04 and 15:00 Wednesday, January 17) and for wind (from 06:00 to 12:00), while the south coast of Madeira is still under an orange warning for sea disturbances between 09:00 and 15:00 for the same day.
