LISBON, Aug. 7 (Xinhua) -- An official with the Madeira Autonomous Regional government of Portugal on Monday called on local airlines to reinforce their operations for the disposal of stranded passengers due to strong winds since Friday.
Local airlines would have to make collective efforts in the fastest and most efficient way to dispose of passengers, Madeira's Secretary of Economy, Tourism and Culture Eduardo Jesus said in a letter.
Many passengers were still being held at Madeira's Cristiano Ronaldo Airport.
According to Portugal's airport operator ANA, 15 arrival flights and 18 departure flights were cancelled on Monday. A total of 101 flights have been cancelled which has affected some 15,000 passengers since Friday.
According to weather forecasts, normality is expected to return to Cristiano Ronaldo Airport on Wednesday.
Cristiano Ronaldo Airport, which was renamed after earlier this year after Portuguese soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo, occasionally suffers strong winds due to its proximity to mountains and the Atlantic Ocean. Enditem
