ALPHABET TRAVEL CHALLENGE
Funchal Madeira — Good Food, Good Drink, and Ronaldo’s “Golden Balls”
A to Z of my favorite travel destinations — F is for Funchal
It was only after booking my trip to Madeira as part of my Portugal itinerary, that I learned that the airport in Funchal is considered one of the most dangerous airports in the world to land and take off.
The airport is so dangerous that pilots must undergo special training just to land there. The runway is surrounded by mountains and the Atlantic Ocean and was built on a platform, partly over the water.
Despite the danger and the extra safety precautions, there have been 3 crashes including a TAP Air Portugal flight in 1977.
Needless to say, I was a little nervous about traveling there. But there are only 2 ways to get to the island; by air and by sea (it is a popular stop for cruise ships and yachts). My fears though were unfounded. The landing went off without a hitch.
