Private Jet Lake Como to Madeira

Milan Malpensa Airport serves Lake Como’s private aviation traffic for the roughly 1,451 nautical mile flight to Madeira, a sector a Gulfstream G280 or Challenger 350 covers in around three hours, climbing over northern Italy and the western Mediterranean before crossing Spain and continuing out over the Atlantic. Malpensa’s business aviation terminal is well used to serving the villas and estates around the lake, offering a smooth departure even during the busy summer season when road traffic around Como itself can be considerable. Once established at cruise, typically near 41,000 feet, the aircraft tracks south-west across the Iberian peninsula before the volcanic outline of Madeira comes into view against open ocean. The landing at Madeira Airport is one of the more distinctive in commercial and private aviation, its runway extended on a viaduct of concrete pillars out over the sea, with the final approach curving in close to the cliffs above Funchal, a manoeuvre requiring pilots specifically trained for the airport’s terrain and crosswind conditions. From the ground, Funchal’s old town, its terraced vineyards, and the cable car up to Monte are all within a short transfer. This route appeals to Lake Como’s international residents and visitors looking to extend a stay in northern Italy with a warmer Atlantic interlude, as well as those pairing business in Milan with leisure time somewhere considerably milder than the lake in the winter months. Madeira’s subtropical microclimate stands in sharp contrast to Como’s Alpine surroundings, and flying direct spares travellers the connections through Lisbon that a scheduled routing between these two destinations would otherwise require.