A special airport

Funchal airport is really a bit special. The staff are friendly and helpful (even the awful Thomson team), the food is not overpriced and very pleasant and you can go outside on the terrace while you wait to board - and nobody worries if you take photos.

But if you look closely at the photo, you'll notice that the runway goes alongside a hillside which has lots of houses. From the greenery at the front of the terrace through to the far side of the incoming/outgoing runway, is not very far. There's a row of parked planes waiting to take off and the runway is behind.

The runway used to be dangerously short. Pilots needed a special licence to land and take off (and apparently they still do today). It was one of the notorious airport approaches - so they involved the Swiss in a complex design project and extended - out into the sea. Now, they can take intercontinental sized planes and things are far, far safer.

Mind you - if there is wind, they can't land and you have to be diverted to Porto Santo, the little island with beaches of yellow sand that is just across the water. I would go over there for a day trip, except that the longer I keep going to Madeira, the greater the chance that I will get diverted anyway.

Meanwhile, I will just enjoy it - and feel happy for the great week, and glad to be home.