DREM releases transport statistics for 2024

The Regional Directorate of Statistics of Madeira (DREM) releases today data for the 4^th quarter of 2024 regarding the different modes of transport in the Autonomous Region of Madeira, as well as the cumulative total for the year 2024. 

Land transport – Increases in almost all indicators compared to 2023

According to the data collected by the Regional Directorate of Statistics of Madeira (DREM), in 2024, public passenger transport by bus, in the urban lines, recorded a total of 21.5 million users, an increase of 25.1% year-on-year. In the 4^th quarter of 2024, this indicator registered a year-on-year rise of 24.6%, totalling 5.5 million passengers.

In 2024, about 1 460.0 thousand tickets were sold by cableways installed in the Region, representing a 7.9% increase when compared to 2023. Of these,  94.5% were purchased by adults, 4.0% by children and the remaining 1.5% by other users (e.g. farmers, residents, students, etc.). For the same period, total revenue stood at approximately 18.2 million euros, reflecting an 8.0% growth year-on-year. It should be noted that, in the 4th quarter of 2024, there were year-on-year increases of greater intensity in tickets sold (+18.6%) and revenues (+19.1%).

Moreover, the Registers of the Region recorded, in the 4^th quarter of 2024, the transfer of ownership of 3 619 used vehicles, This represents an increase of 128 registrations compared to the same quarter of 2023, equating to a year-on-year rise of 3.7%. Over the course of 2024, a total of 14 932 used vehicles changed ownership, reflecting a 3.5% increase from 2023. Of these, 87.0% were passenger cars, 11.7% were light commercial vehicles, and 1.2% were cargo vehicles (174 in total). 

According to the provisional information collected by ACAP - Associação Automóvel de Portugal - from the Institute of Records and Notary, in 2024, a total of 6 242 new vehicles were purchased by residents of the Autonomous Region of Madeira, which resulted in a decrease of 3.2% compared to 2023. Between October and December of 2024, 1 434 new vehicles were acquired, which compared to the same period in 2023, representing a decrease of 164 vehicles (-10.3%). It should be noted that this variable corresponds to the purchases of vehicles made by entities resident in the Autonomous Region of Madeira, including those made by rent-a-car companies, and not to the sales of car dealerships operating in the Region.

Provisional data provided by the Madeira Regional Command of the Public Security Police (PSP) show that, in 2024, 3 814 road accidents were recorded with police intervention, which means a year-on-year increase of 4.7%. The number of victims was 1 239, up by 10 over the same period in 2023. Of that number of victims, 1 155 were counted as minor injuries, 72 as serious injuries and 12 as fatalities.

Air transport – Passenger movement at the Autonomous Region of Madeira’s airports exceeded 5 million for the first time

The airports of Madeira and Porto Santo recorded a movement of approximately 1.2 million passengers, in the 4^th quarter of 2024, showing a 6.8% increase vis-à-vis the same period in 2023. Both airports had a positive change in passengers’ movement towards 2023, with Madeira and Porto Santo having annual changes of 7.0% and 1.6%, respectively. In 2024, the movement of passengers at the Autonomous Region of Madeira airports exceeded 5 million, for the first time, a year-on-year increase of 4.6%. Growth was more pronounced at Madeira Airport (+4.8%) than at Porto Santo Airport (+0.4%).

In 2024, the occupancy of aircraft handled at the airports of the Autonomous Region of Madeira was around 86.6%, with Madeira airport reaching 87.1% and Porto Santo 78.4%. These figures represent an improvement from the previous year, when overall occupancy stood at 84.4%, with Madeira and Porto Santo registering 85.0% and 74.5%, respectively.

Regarding air cargo, in the 4^th quarter, the airports of Madeira and Porto Santo had an increase of 22.1%. Cumulatively, total freight handled at regional airports grew by 21.4% to approximately 4.8 thousand tonnes, with 67.4% being unloaded goods, 28.6% loaded goods, and the remaining 4.0% transit cargo. Compared to 2023, unloaded goods increased by 12.1%, while loaded goods rose by 42.5%. Freight traffic at Madeira Airport expanded by 23.9%, whereas at Porto Santo Airport it contracted by 38.9%.

Maritime transport – Goods movement in ports on the rise

Regarding maritime transport, in 2024, 316 cruise ships were entering the ports of the Autonomous Region of Madeira, almost the majority in the 4^th quarter (155). This represents an increase of 37 ships compared to 2023. The number of passengers in transit (716 806) grew towards 2023, reflecting a 16.4% rise. In the 4th quarter, the number of passengers saw a substantial year-on-year increase of 32.7%.

In 2024, the Port of Funchal received 614 731 passengers in transit, the vast majority Europeans (88.0%). The most prevalent nationalities were British (43.2% of the total; +29.1% than in 2023), German (34.0% of the total; +9.3% than in the same period of 2023), Italian (1.8% of the total; -27.9% than in 2023) and French (1.2% of the total; -34.1% than in 2023). It should also be noted that American passengers in transit at the Port of Funchal (10.9% of the total) grew by 8.9% compared to 2023.  This growth was primarily driven by USA passengers (7.9% of the total; +33.8%) and Canadian passengers (1.8%; +39.9%).

On the Madeira-Porto Santo line, the number of passengers in the 4^th quarter of this year increased by 8.9% compared to the same quarter of 2023. In cumulative terms, in 2024, the number of passengers transported was 405.4 thousand, slightly below that observed in the previous year (-0.7%).

The movement of goods in the ports of the Autonomous Region of Madeira, in the quarter in reference, was overall positive when compared to the same quarter of 2023 (+3.5 Over the entirety of 2024, 4.8 million tonnes of goods were handled at the region's ports, marking a 1.4% increase from 2023. This growth was observed in both loaded (+0.9%) and unloaded goods (+1.4%). Notably, unloaded goods accounted for 89.1% of total freight traffic.

In 2024, a total of 2 553 recreational vessels entered the region's marinas, with 5 889 crew members and passengers.

For more information go to:

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

Back

• Prev
• Next