End of a Nightmare Holiday in Portugal: Hundreds of French Tourists Stuck for a Week at Madeira Airport

Hundreds of French tourists have been unable to fly from the Portuguese island of Madeira for a week due to strong winds and forest fires, which has led to flight cancellations, Le Figaro and BFMTV report.

Since last week, tourists have been looking for ways to return, contacting embassies, but to no avail, as there are no free flights. 

Many passengers are forced to sleep at the airport for several days, as there are only hotel rooms available at the exorbitant price of 800 euros per night. One couple even decided to rent a car to spend the night there. On social media, many tourists complain about the lack of communication with the authorities and companies, especially low-cost ones.

‘We can't take it any more. We don't have any information, we don't see our return ticket. The only flight with free seats will be on 2 September,’ said one tourist.

The situation with flight cancellations due to the fires is understandable, but it does not justify the airlines' inability to help, tourists say.

‘They have no intention of organising a special flight today. They are saying: ‘Take regular flights’. But today they are all full. So they told me to take alternative transport. But we're on an island, so what other option is there, to swim?’ complains another tourist.

Although the man finally found a return flight scheduled for Thursday, he is again afraid that it will be cancelled.

As of Monday, the fire, which has been burning for six days, was partially extinguished in Madeira.

Earlier, nearly three thousand tourists were evacuated in France due to a large-scale forest fire in the south, and 11 people were injured.