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Atlantic Holidays, a major package holiday provider, has announced plans to fly from Blackpool Airport to the Portuguese archipelago, Madeira, from May 23 2011. The route, which will operate until September 26, will take travellers to the city of Funchal on Madeira’s south coast.

Located in the North Atlantic, Madeira is one of the most affluent regions of Portugal. The island is famed for its temperate climate, sandy beaches, and basaltic peaks, formed thousands of years ago by volcanic activity. However, Madeira’s most striking feature is also one of the first sights that holidaymakers see – Madeira Airport. The hub’s runway is suspended 70m above the Atlantic Ocean by hundreds of vertical columns.

Atlantic Holidays’ decision to fly from Blackpool is part of a UK-wide expansion of its services to Portuguese destinations. The firm will offer flights from thirteen more airports in summer 2011, including Bournemouth, Kent Manston, and Durham. The holiday firm claims that it is the largest operator on routes to Madeira, the Azores, and Porto Santo, a tiny island and a “closely guarded secret", to quote Atlantic's website.

Sales chief at Atlantic, Dino Toouli, said that his company is “confident that Madeira will prove extremely popular” with travellers in the northwest. Mr. Toouli noted that planes leased from seasoned airline, Monarch, would be used on the route, specifically, the Airbus A320. The A320 can carry around 150 passengers per flight.

Atlantic Holidays is currently offering 7-night breaks in Madeira from Blackpool Airport. Travellers are offered a choice of accommodation, from the three-star hotel, Dom Pedro Garajau, to the luxury Pestana Grand, to the west of Madeira’s capital, Funchal.

Tickets for Blackpool-Madeira are available for purchase on Atlantic's booking page.