A Snapshot of a Historic High Season at Alicante-Elche Airport: 13.5 Million Passengers and 83,300 Flights

Alicante-Elche Airport is approaching the end of a year that is set to be historic. Between January and October, it has handled over 17 million passengers, a figure that could reach 20 million according to forecasts. The consistent performance throughout the months has boosted the terminal's operations, growing in every period, especially during the high season, where it surpassed two million monthly travellers for the first time.

The high season, from late March to late October, has been a period of unprecedented figures. With 13.5 million passengers, 92% of the available seats were filled. The number of travellers exceeds the same period in 2024 by 6.6%, while flights, with 83,361 operations, grew by 6.1% year-on-year, according to airport operator Aena.

The high connectivity during the high season has broken barriers, connecting with 226 routes to 135 airports in 120 different cities. In total, flights have been available to around thirty countries from Alicante-Elche Airport, marking an unprecedented level of connectivity.

Once again, the British market has led the international segment, accounting for more than 80% of travellers. The UK was the top nationality with 4.57 million travellers, a 6.7% increase over the same period last year. Germany, with 822,825 passengers, emerges as the second power, with a significant 10% growth.

The Netherlands follows with 787,682 passengers (5.2%), and Belgium (4.6%) rounds out the top four markets. France gains ground over Poland with 632,434 travellers and a 9.5% growth, while the Polish market continues its unstoppable advance, growing to 627,110 passengers, nearly 20% more than the high season of 2024, thanks to Ryanair's new route and increased frequencies.

Notable is the low growth of Scandinavian countries, with Norway surpassing 600,000 passengers but only a slight 2% increase, while Sweden, with 517,000 travellers, sees a 2% decline compared to the previous year. Italy also records a 3% decrease in its travellers. On the other side of the spectrum, Algeria stands out with an exponential 120% growth, while Austria, with two new Ryanair routes to Salzburg and Linz, increases by 64% compared to 2024.

Among the main airports connecting with Alicante-Elche, Manchester is the leading one with the most flights. It recorded 632,535 passenger movements with over twenty weekly operations with the Costa Blanca. It is followed by London-Gatwick with 589,582; Amsterdam with 425,561; Brussels with 354,035; and Barcelona-El Prat with 349,804 travellers.

The high volume of passengers on routes with English airports is noteworthy. In this list of the top ten terminals connecting with Alicante-Elche, half are from England. London-Stansted, Bristol, and Birmingham join Manchester and Gatwick, while the top 10 is completed by Paris and Stockholm.

Ryanair continues as the main airline at Alicante-Elche Airport. With 5.43 million passengers, it accounted for 40% of the total traffic during the high season. The airline has grown compared to 2024 thanks to its three new connections. EasyJet is firmly in second place, ahead of Vueling, which is the third contender. The British low-cost carrier added 1.73 million passengers, 300,000 more than the previous high season, while Vueling grew slightly to 1.38 million.

The Hungarian Wizz Air and its new route to Belgrade have been a success this high season, surpassing half a million passengers, a significant 35% growth from one high season to the next. Jet2, another British low-cost airline, surpasses one million passengers at Alicante-Elche Airport for the first time. Other airlines like Norwegian, Volotea, and Transavia record significant growths, although lighter than the two previously mentioned.