High winds force plane to abort landing

Aborted landings are not unusual at Madeira Airport as the crosswinds often cause problems for pilots. Photo / YouTube, Ricardo Sousa

This is the moment a Thomas Cook Airlines plane was forced to abort a landing at the last second, at the notoriously difficult Funchal Airport in Madeira.

The video, filmed on February 18 on the Portuguese island, shows the plane wobbling dramatically in strong crosswinds as it descends, before it is forced to abandon the landing and rises back into the sky.

Aborted landings are not unusual at Madeira Airport as the crosswinds often cause problems for pilots.

The filmmaker who shared the video online, wrote: "Missed landing due to heavy crosswinds at Madeira Airport considered one of the most difficult airports of the world."

A spokesperson from Thomas Cook Airlines said: "This is an excellent example of the expertise of Thomas Cook Group Airlines pilots. Safety is our number one priority and this clip shows safety in action."

Madeira Airport is close to mountains and the sea which means it is prone to extreme turbulence and poor weather conditions.

Landing a commercial jet can be a challenge even for the most experienced pilot.

Pilots require special training to land at the incredibly short runway on the Portuguese archipelago, wedged in between mountains and the Atlantic sea.

The runway was so short it had to be extended twice due to accidents, including one in 1977 where a Boeing 727 missed the runway and crashed onto a nearby beach.

The TAP Portugal Flight TP425 overshot the runway, and smashed into a bridge that ripped off the right wing.

The aircraft then crashed onto the beach, setting fire, killing 131 of the 164 people on board.

In 2000, an extra kilometre was added to the runway, built on concrete pillars in the sea.

- Daily Mail