British holidaymakers have been left facing travel chaos after four Jet2 flights from the UK to Madeira were diverted due to strong winds.
The flights from London, Bristol, Nottingham and Newcastle were redirected to airports in Gran Canaria and Fuerteventura on Monday afternoon.
The disruption comes as wind conditions intensified around Madeira Airport, affecting multiple airlines and their passengers.
The four Jet2 flights were among eight planes diverted from Madeira since 1pm on Monday.
The flights were diverted
PA
A fifth Jet2 flight from Birmingham was also affected, being redirected to Lanzarote.
The diversions have left hundreds of British travellers stranded at alternative destinations as they await further instructions.
Passengers had been expecting to land at Madeira Airport but instead found themselves at airports across the Canary Islands.
Other airlines were also affected by the adverse conditions at Madeira Airport.
Madeira Airport was experiencing heavy winds
Getty
A British Airways flight from London was separately diverted to Tenerife, along with an EasyJet flight from Berlin and a Wizzair flight from Warsaw.
A Condor flight from Frankfurt was also redirected to Gran Canaria.
Flights operated by Smartwings from Prague and EasyJet from Lisbon were reported to be struggling in the difficult conditions.
The widespread disruption has affected travellers from across Europe.
The disruption has been caused by intensifying wind conditions in the area of Madeira Airport. Weather reports indicate the situation worsened throughout Monday afternoon.
A gust of 80 km/h was recorded at 4pm, making safe landings impossible. The strong winds represent a significant increase from earlier in the day.
Airport authorities have been monitoring the deteriorating conditions closely. Five flights to Madeira have been cancelled as a result of the weather conditions.