TAP said there had been an increase in passengers from Europe (+41 percent) and the USA (+15 percent), adding that TAP flies 70 times a week to Madeira and six times to the neighbouring island of Porto Santo.
The company’s Stopover programme which was extended to Madeira last year also helped with this growth by encouraging tourists to discover two destinations in Portugal on the same journey, the company said.
TAP has been severely criticised by passengers and the local authorities in Madeira for frequent cancellations of flights to the islands because of operating reasons.
On 3 July, the president of Madeira, Miguel Albuquerque, said the region was considering going to court to demand compensation from TAP for the losses it had caused the archipelago.