TUI Airways Manchester flight to Madeira endures 61-hour journey due to weather challenges

After facing a series of weather-related challenges, TUI Airways flight BY2536 from Manchester (MAN) to Funchal, Madeira (FNC), operated by Boeing 737-800 registered G-TAWM, eventually arrived after an extensive 61-hour journey.

Inclement weather on Friday 12 January prevented the flight from landing in Madeira, leading to a diversion to Porto Santo (PXO), where passengers spent a night in a hotel.

Despite early morning attempts to depart on Saturday 13 January, persistent bad weather in Madeira kept passengers stranded at the airport for hours.

The situation worsened with heavy rain and poor visibility, prompting the flight to divert to Tenerife South (TFS).

A further attempt to fly to Funchal on the same day resulted in the flight returning to Tenerife, where passengers were accommodated in another hotel overnight.

The next day, 14 January, involved more airport delays, but the flight eventually reached Madeira at 21:16, two days and 9 hours past the originally scheduled arrival and 61 hours after departure from Manchester.

The extended journey likely impacted passengers’ plans, raising questions about TUI’s handling of the situation.