Alicante Airport passenger numbers surge ahead of busy summer

Alicante-Elche Miguel Hernández Airport continues setting new records as passenger numbers keep climbing ahead of what is expected to be another extremely busy summer on the Costa Blanca.

According to the latest figures released by AENA, the airport handled 1,921,861 passengers during April. This represents an increase of 10.9 per cent compared with the same month last year.

International travel once again drove most of the growth. More than 1.69 million passengers travelled on international flights during April, marking a year-on-year increase of 12.3 per cent.

Domestic traffic also increased, although more slowly. Alicante-Elche handled 222,973 passengers on flights within Spain, up 1.3 per cent compared with April 2025.

United Kingdom remains Alicante Airport’s biggest market

The United Kingdom remained by far the airport’s largest international market. During April alone, more than 637,000 British passengers passed through the terminal.

Germany ranked second with more than 117,000 passengers, closely followed by the Netherlands. Poland and Belgium completed the top five international markets, with both countries also exceeding 100,000 travellers during the month.

Aircraft movements increased at exactly the same pace as passenger numbers. During April, the airport recorded 12,074 flights, also up 10.9 per cent.

Strong growth continues ahead of summer 2026

The strong growth has continued throughout the year. Between January and April, Alicante-Elche welcomed 5.86 million passengers overall, representing growth of 8 per cent compared with the same period last year.

Flight operations also climbed during the first four months of 2026, reaching 37,694 aircraft movements.

The latest figures further confirm Alicante-Elche’s position as one of Spain’s leading airports for international tourism, particularly for holidaymakers and foreign residents travelling to the Costa Blanca.

Airlines are also preparing for another hectic summer. Ryanair recently confirmed it does not currently expect any fuel supply disruption across Europe despite ongoing tensions in the Middle East, although rising oil prices could still place pressure on airline profits later this year.