The topic was one of the most important points in Thursday’s hearing of CEO Antonoaldo Neves who told reporters it was the regulator’s job in some matters to define limits and “it is up to the operator to decide whether to operate at that limit or at another limit that is slightly lower”.

Speaking to reporters after more than three hours in the Economy, Innovation and Public Works Committee, he said that even if the wind speed limits were raised at Madeira, TAP would not follow suit because it had studied the matter.

“Others may come to different conclusions than TAP, but TAP has its operating standards, it has its safety standards, which I have reviewed with the specialists and we believe they are perfectly adequate, including for the new plane - A320 neo- that recently landed in Madeira to test the wind limits”, he added.