Ryanair Increases Its Winter Commitment at Alicante-Elche Airport with 16 Aircraft, 79 Routes, and 3.4 Million Seats

Ryanair has reaffirmed its commitment to Alicante-Elche Airport for this winter, announcing a significant increase for the low season 25/26 during an event at the ADDA on Tuesday. The Irish airline has revealed its schedule from October 26, 2025, to March 30, 2026, with a 12% increase in seats at El Altet terminal, aiming to close the year with over eight million passengers.

The announcement was made by Ryanair's Communications Director, Alejandra Ruiz, during the Air Connectivity Day of the Costa Blanca. The event was attended by the Director of the Provincial Tourism Board, José Mancebo; the President of the Alicante Province Hotel Association (APHA), Luis Castillo; and the President of the Community's Hotel Association (Hosbec), Fede Fuster. Authorities such as Alicante's Tourism Councillor, Ana Poquet, and the Regional Secretary of Tourism, José Manuel Camarero, were also present.

The airline confirmed it will base 16 aircraft at Alicante terminal, operating 79 routes, ten of which are new for this winter season. A total of 3.4 million seats have been made available, a 12% increase from the previous season, to 22 different countries. Ryanair's commitment amounts to an investment of 1.6 billion euros in Alicante, supporting "over 6,700 local jobs," according to the airline.

Ruiz announced significant updates compared to the previous winter campaign, such as the extension of summer routes, including three added during summer like Linz and Salzburg to Austria or Bydgoszcz in Poland. A new connection to Bratislava, Slovakia's capital, will also be available, featuring four weekly flights.

There will be ten new destinations compared to the last winter period. Besides the ones already mentioned, other summer routes will be extended, such as Cardiff and Aberdeen in the UK; Stockholm Västerås and Småland in Sweden; and Lanzarote in Spain.

In total, Ryanair will operate nearly 80 routes with 410 weekly frequencies during winter at Alicante-Elche Airport. Frequencies will also increase on 29 existing summer routes to enhance connectivity to destinations like Dublin, Edinburgh, Budapest, or Milan during the low season, according to Ryanair's Communications Director in Spain, Alejandra Ruiz.

Ruiz lamented Aena's fee increase and reiterated the significant reduction in the company's seats for winter at regional airports. The company's spokesperson emphasized that Ryanair is focused on growing at airports that "are profitable," such as Alicante. In this a plane has been added to its base from the closed base at Santiago de Compostela Airport.