Cristiano Ronaldo International Airport facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Madeira International Airport
Aeroporto da Madeira
Cristiano Ronaldo |
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Approach to Madeira Airport, view of the supported half of the runway
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| Summary | |||||||||||
| Airport type | Public | ||||||||||
| Operator | ANA - Aeroportos e Navegação Aérea, SA | ||||||||||
| Serves | Madeira, Portugal | ||||||||||
| Location | Santa Cruz | ||||||||||
| Focus city for | TAP Air Portugal | ||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 58 m / 190 ft | ||||||||||
| Coordinates | 32°41′39″N 16°46′41″W / 32.69417°N 16.77806°W | ||||||||||
| Website | ana.pt | ||||||||||
| Map | |||||||||||
 LPMA
Location in Madeira
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| Runway | |||||||||||
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| Statistics (2018) | |||||||||||
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Source: ANAC[1], Portuguese AIP
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Cristiano Ronaldo Madeira International Airport is a busy airport located near Funchal on the Madeira Islands in Portugal. It is also known as Madeira Airport or Funchal Airport. This airport is special because it is named after the famous football player Cristiano Ronaldo, who was born in Madeira. It helps millions of people travel to and from the beautiful island each year.
Contents
A Unique Airport Runway
Madeira Airport is famous for its unique and challenging runway. It was originally quite short, making landings tricky for pilots. Because of the mountains and the ocean, it was hard to make the runway longer in the usual way.
Building Over the Ocean
To solve this problem, engineers came up with an amazing idea. They extended the runway over the ocean! This part of the runway is built on 180 strong concrete pillars. These pillars are about 70 meters (230 feet) tall.
An Engineering Marvel
This special design means that the runway is partly on land and partly over the water. It's like a giant bridge for airplanes! This incredible engineering project made the runway much safer and longer. It allows larger planes to land and take off easily.
Who Was Cristiano Ronaldo?
The airport was renamed in 2017 to honor Cristiano Ronaldo, a world-famous football (soccer) player. He was born in Funchal, Madeira, in 1985. Ronaldo is considered one of the greatest football players of all time.
A Local Hero
Naming the airport after him was a way to celebrate his achievements. It also helps to promote Madeira around the world. Many visitors come to the island, and they can see his name right when they arrive.
Airport Operations
Madeira Airport is an international airport. This means it handles flights from many different countries. It connects Madeira to cities across Europe and beyond.
Passenger and Flight Numbers
Every year, millions of passengers use this airport. In 2018, over 3 million people traveled through it. There were also more than 25,000 flights, showing how busy it is. The airport plays a big role in bringing tourists to Madeira.
Images for kids
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Madeira airport as seen in 1990, pre-runway extension
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Madeira Airport Runway
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Partial view of the airport's main building
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Main check-in desks hall
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Under the airport runway
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