Anyone who has flown from Alicante-Elche recently will know just how busy the Costa Blanca airport can get, which makes the planned Alicante airport expansion particularly significant.
A sizeable investment programme is now on the way, with €868 million earmarked for the airport over the next five years.
Spain’s Council of Ministers have now approved Aena’s Airport Regulation Document known as DORA III.
The programme covers 2027 to 2031 and includes work to expand Alicante-Elche Miguel Hernández Airport’s terminal area, improve the airfield and apron, and upgrade safety infrastructure.
€868 million for Alicante-Elche
The Alicante investment forms part of a much larger programme across Aena’s Spanish airport network.
DORA III provides for close to €13 billion of investment nationwide between 2027 and 2031.
For Alicante-Elche, the €868 million allocation comes as passenger numbers continue to climb rapidly. Between January and August this year, 14,739,523 passengers used the airport, up 9.9% on the same period of 2025.
August alone brought a new record, with 2,337,378 passengers passing through the terminal.
The airport finished 2025 with a record of around 19.9 million passengers and is now heading towards another annual high.
What will change at the airport?
The investment includes expansion of the passenger terminal along with improvements to areas used by aircraft.
Plans announced for the wider expansion include demolishing the old T1 building and constructing a new boarding pier. The new structure would extend from T2 and run parallel to the runway.
The smaller General Aviation terminal would also need to come down to make room for the development.
Early estimates suggest the completed expansion could give Alicante-Elche capacity to handle at least 26 million passengers a year.
Aena has already awarded the contract to draw up the expansion project. The €15.7 million contract covers a five-year period, with individual projects expected to progress in stages.
Airport charges will rise slightly
DORA III also sets the framework for airport charges across Aena’s Spanish network during the five-year period.
The government has approved an average annual increase of 0.33%. Aena had sought an annual rise of 3.82%, while airlines had called for a 4.9% reduction and Spain’s competition regulator recommended a 0.59% annual decrease.
The approved figure therefore amounts to a near-freeze in charges as Aena prepares for further passenger growth.
Across its Spanish airports, passenger numbers are expected to increase from 321 million in 2025 to around 358 million by 2031, according to the figures accompanying the plan.
More capacity for a growing Costa Blanca airport
Alicante-Elche has been growing considerably faster than the Aena network as a whole.
That is particularly significant for the Costa Blanca, where the airport provides the main international gateway for residents, second-home owners and holidaymakers.
The €868 million programme does not mean all the work will happen at once. Projects, contracts and construction will progress during the 2027–2031 period.
But after years of rising passenger numbers, the approval puts substantial funding behind plans to give Alicante-Elche more room to handle them.
Bridging the Gap’s recap
- Alicante-Elche Airport has €868 million allocated under the new DORA III programme.
- The investment covers the period from 2027 to 2031.
- Plans include terminal expansion and improvements to the airfield, apron and safety infrastructure.
- Wider proposals include a new boarding pier and demolition of the old T1.
- Early estimates put future airport capacity at at least 26 million passengers a year.
- Alicante-Elche has already handled 14.7 million passengers in the first eight months of 2026.
- Average Aena airport charges will rise by 0.33% a year under the new framework.
- DORA III provides for close to €13 billion of investment across Aena’s Spanish airport network.
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