From Moldova to Serbia: New Routes from Alicante-Elche Airport Thrive During Peak Season

Success of the new summer routes at Alicante-Elche Airport, particularly those to Eastern Europe. Unprecedented connections such as Moldova or Serbia have shown very positive passenger numbers. Others, like those operated by Ryanair, have performed well, prompting the Irish airline to extend them into the winter season.

Among all the new routes, the connection with Chisinau, the capital of Moldova, has attracted the most passengers. Notably, the link is operated by two airlines: Fly One and SkyUp. The outcome has been so positive that both companies recently announced they would maintain this connection through the winter. According to Aena, during the peak season, and despite not starting until May, the Chisinau connection reached 29,024 passengers, making it the highest volume among the new routes.

Close behind is the connection with Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. Alicante-Elche Airport did not have flights to this Balkan country until Wizz Air announced the opening of its new route, which began operating in early June and has since accumulated 28,223 passengers, highlighting the growing importance of Eastern Europe for the Alicante terminal.

Ryanair's new routes have also been highly successful, with its two links to Austria (Linz and Salzburg) surpassing 21,000 passengers, while flights to Bydgoszcz, Poland, reached 22,367 travellers. In fact, the Irish airline has included all three routes in its winter schedule, extending nine summer connections year-round and adding a new one to Bratislava.

For EasyJet, the British airline has also reported good results, especially on its route to Naples, launched in the low season and extended into the summer. During the peak season, the number of passengers between the Italian airport and El Altet terminal exceeded 21,200.

Its unprecedented connection to Athens has also performed well. It is the only route to Greece from Alicante and, according to Aena, recorded 16,350 passengers during the peak season. This figure has led the Provincial Council of Alicante to negotiate with the airline to increase frequencies for the coming summer, thus betting on the Greek market.

The last of the new connections has been Bordeaux, the wine capital. Located in France, Volotea took over from Ryanair to this city and the market has responded strongly, with 17,640 passengers.

Two other airlines joined existing routes. In the case of Norwegian, the Scandinavian airline joined Air Baltic on its route to Riga, boosting passenger numbers. This link has grown from 21,871 passengers in the 2024 peak season to over 46,000 this summer.

Also noteworthy is Jet2's addition to the Bournemouth connection. The British low-cost airline announced the opening of its new base last spring, from which it would operate a route to Alicante. This is an important connection to the Costa Blanca, where Ryanair already operated. The entry of the British company has increased passenger flow from 72,000 in 2024 to 85,129 this year.