DREM releases transport statistics for the 1^st half of 2026

The Regional Statistics Directorate of Madeira (DREM) today releases data for the first six months of 2026 for the various modes of transport operating in the Autonomous Region of Madeira (ARM).

Land transport – Rise in used vehicle purchases and reduction in new vehicle purchases

According to data compiled by DREM, bus public transport recorded a total of 13.8 million passengers in the 1^st half of 2026, an increase of 7.1% year-on-year. Urban lines carried 9.1 million passengers (+10.9% compared with the same period in 2025), while interurban lines accounted for 4.6 million passengers carried (+0.4% compared with the 1^st half of 2025).

Between January and June 2026, 487.8 thousand tickets were sold to users of the Region's cable cars (-34.2% compared with the same half-year of 2025), of which 94.3% were for adults, 3.8% for children and the remaining 1.8% for other types of users (e.g. farmers, residents, students, etc.). In the same period, total revenue stood at around 6.9 million euros, corresponding to a decrease of 31.5% compared with the same period of the previous year. As noted in the release for the 1^st quarter of 2026, most cable cars were closed for maintenance works, which affected the aggregate results for the first six months. It should be noted that, in the 2^nd quarter of 2026, there was a year-on-year decrease in tickets sold (-5.3%), but revenue showed a year-on-year increase (+4.0%).

In turn, the Registers of the Region recorded, in the 1^st half of 2026, the transfer of registration of 8 277 used motor vehicles, of which 86.9% were light passenger vehicles and 12.1% light goods vehicles. A further 77 heavy vehicles were registered, around 0.9% of the total. Compared with the 1^st half of 2025, the number of registrations increased by 229, translating into a year-on-year increase of 2.8%. In the 2^nd quarter of 2026, this indicator also recorded an increase (+1.5%) compared with the year-on-year period, although lower than that observed for the half-year as a whole.

According to information collected by ACAP - Associação Automóvel de Portugal from the Institute of Registries and Notaries, in the 1^st half of 2026, a total of 2 752 new vehicles acquired by ARM residents was registered, representing a decrease of 9.1% compared with the same period of 2025. Between April and June 2026, 1 388 vehicles were acquired, representing a reduction of 159 vehicles (-10.3%) compared with the same quarter of 2025. It should be noted that this variable corresponds to vehicle purchases made by entities resident in the ARM, including those made by car rental companies, and does not reflect sales by car dealerships operating in the Region.

Provisional data provided by the Madeira Regional Command of the Public Security Police (PSP) show that, in the 1^st half of 2026, 1 972 road accidents involving police intervention were recorded, representing a slight decrease of 0.7% compared with the same half-year of the previous year. Victims totalled 674 persons (34 more than in 2025), of whom 622 were recorded as slightly injured, 44 as seriously injured and 8 as fatalities.

Air transport – Passenger movement at RAM airports grew again

The ARM airports recorded a movement of 2 768.7 thousand passengers in the 1^st half of 2026, a year-on-year growth of 3.1%. This development was due to increases observed at both Madeira Airport (+2.9%) and Porto Santo Airport (+6.5%). In the 2^nd quarter of 2026, passenger movement at the Region's airports also maintained a growth trajectory, recording a year-on-year increase of 2.4%, resulting from increases at Madeira Airport (+2.4%) and Porto Santo Airport (+2.5%).

In the half-year under review, the occupancy rate of aircraft operating at the ARM airports stood at around 85.9%, reaching 86.2% at Madeira Airport and 79.7% at Porto Santo Airport. In the same period of the previous year, occupancy rates were lower, standing at 84.6% across airports as a whole, 84.9% at Madeira Airport and 77.0% at Porto Santo Airport. In the 2^nd quarter of 2026, the occupancy rate was higher year-on-year, standing at 87.4% at the ARM airports (+1.1 pp compared with the same period of 2025), 87.8% at Madeira Airport (+1.1 pp) and 81.8% at Porto Santo Airport (+2.6 pp).

In the 1^st half of 2026, air cargo handled at the ARM airports increased by 1.0% compared with the year-on-year period. This growth reflected the increase in goods unloaded (+2.6%), which offset the decrease in goods loaded (-9.6%).

Maritime transport – Cargo movement at ports on the rise

In the maritime transport sector, 199 cruise ships entered the ARM ports in the 1^st half of 2026 (28 more than in the same period of the previous year). The number of passengers in transit (443 355) also increased compared with the same half-year of 2025 (+18.5%).

In the half-year under review, the Port of Funchal received 440 608 passengers in transit, the large majority (89.9%) being Europeans. The predominant nationalities were German (42.1% of the total; +16.5% compared with 2025), British (28.7%; -2.0%), Italian (4.1%; +174.6%), Spanish (2.9%; +107.6%), Austrian (1.7%; +52.3%), Polish (1.3%; +106.5%) and Dutch (1.2%; +14.1%). It should also be noted that passengers from the American continent in transit at the Port of Funchal (9.1% of the total) grew by 19.7% compared with 2025. The nationalities that contributed most to this increase were American (6.7% of the total; +43.8% compared with 2025) and Canadian (1.4%; +24.9%). By contrast, the Brazilian nationality decreased year-on-year (0.7% of the total; -36.6%).

On the Madeira-Porto Santo line, the number of passengers stood at around 153.4 thousand, an increase of 4.8% compared with the same half-year of 2025. However, the number of passengers recorded on that line in the 2^nd quarter of 2026 decreased by 3.2% year-on-year.

The change in cargo movement at the ARM ports this half-year was globally positive compared with the same period of the previous year (+4.9%). This change was driven by the increase observed in goods unloaded (+5.3%) and goods loaded (+1.5%). It should be noted that, in the 2^nd quarter of 2026, the year-on-year increase in total cargo movement was 4.2%.

From January to June 2026, 783 recreational boats entered the Region's marinas, representing a year-on-year decrease of 13.8%. These boats carried 1 991 crew members and passengers, -2.4% compared with the same period last year.

For more information, access:

• Tables (Air Transport)
• Tables (Maritime Transport)
• Tables (Road Transport)

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