Madeira Airport (LPMA) — Live Plane Spotting
24/7 live stream from Madeira Airport (LPMA / FNC) showing landings and takeoffs on Runway 05/23 — one of the world's most challenging approaches, famous for dramatic crosswind landings against the cliffs of Santa Cruz.
Live · checked 21 min agoAutomatically checked every hour · last check 21 min ago
Madeira Airport (LPMA) is 24°C and mostly clear with a fresh breeze from the N at 27 km/h as of 00:27 local time. The camera is in darkness — sunrise is at 07:24.
- Temperature
- 24°C
- Wind
- 27 km/h N
- Sky
- Mostly clear
- Sunrise
- 07:24
Sunrise 07:24 · Sunset 21:03 (Madeira time). Weather from Open-Meteo, refreshed every 10 minutes; sun times calculated for these exact coordinates.
What you're looking at
This is a 24/7 stream pointed at Runway 05/23 at Madeira Airport, the runway built out on concrete columns above the sea at Santa Cruz. You see aircraft on final approach, the pronounced late turn pilots make to line up, and the touchdown itself, with the cliffs of the north-east coast forming the backdrop. Because the approach requires a specific certification for crews, the landings here look markedly different from anywhere else in Europe, especially in a crosswind.
Best time to check this camera
Arrival banks cluster in the late morning and again in the early evening, when most northern European flights land, so those windows give the most traffic. The truly memorable footage happens on windy days — a strong north-easterly funnels over the ridge and produces the sideways-crabbed approaches this airport is known for, and occasionally go-arounds. In stable summer weather the light is best in the first hours after sunrise.
Location
Santa Cruz · South Coast, Madeira · OpenStreetMap · Google Maps
Questions about this camera
What time are the busiest landings at Madeira Airport?
Traffic concentrates in the late-morning and early-evening arrival banks, when scheduled flights from the UK, Germany, Portugal and the Nordics come in. Saturdays are the heaviest day of the week in the summer season.
Why is the Madeira Airport approach considered difficult?
The runway is short by international standards, sits on an elevated platform above the sea, and is hemmed in by high ground that generates severe wind shear and turbulence in north-easterly conditions. Crews require specific training and certification to fly the approach, which is why the webcam regularly shows crabbed, sideways-looking landings and occasional go-arounds.
Source
Live feed operated by Madeira Airport Live. Madeira Info curates and geo-locates the stream — credit and traffic go to the operator.