Alicante Airport’s winter routes are becoming more extensive, making flying from the Costa Blanca during the colder months far less limiting.
Several routes that might once have disappeared with the summer crowds are staying on the departure board this year, while Alicante-Elche Airport is also adding new connections to Italy, Romania and northern Spain.
Early plans for the 2026/2027 winter season point to more than 22,000 flights and over 4.2 million inbound seats. Airlines currently plan 203 routes, linking Alicante with 128 airports across 32 countries.
For Costa Blanca residents, however, the more interesting part is where those planes are going.
Summer routes stick around for winter
A growing number of connections that previously concentrated on the summer season will continue after the clocks change.
Eurowings plans to keep its Hannover service, while Luxair will continue flying to Luxembourg. Royal Air Maroc will retain Casablanca and Air Serbia will continue its Belgrade connection.
FlyOne’s route to Yerevan in Armenia will also carry on through winter. Ryanair, meanwhile, plans to retain its Saarbrücken and Bratislava services.
It is an interesting shift for an airport traditionally associated with bringing holidaymakers to the Costa Blanca during the busiest months. More routes are now becoming useful year-round connections rather than disappearing at the end of summer.
Alicante to Istanbul every day
One of the biggest changes involves Istanbul.
Pegasus Airlines launched its Alicante-Istanbul route in June with four flights a week before increasing that to seven.
The airline now plans to maintain a daily service throughout the winter, effectively turning the new summer route into a year-round connection.
The flights use Istanbul’s Sabiha Gökçen Airport, which also provides connections onwards to other international destinations.
New flights to Italy and Romania
There are completely new choices on the way too.
Ryanair will begin flying between Alicante and Catania in Sicily on Sunday 25 October. Wizz Air will join the same route from Tuesday 15 December.
Both airlines also plan to continue their recently launched flights between Alicante and Venice Marco Polo during the winter.
Wizz Air is adding another destination from January 2027, with a new service to Târgu Mureș in Romania. The airline initially plans two flights each week.
More options for trips within Spain
You will not need to leave Spain to take advantage of the new routes.
Volotea launches a new Alicante-A Coruña service on Wednesday 2 December, initially operating twice a week.
A day later, Fly2Galicia plans to begin flights between Alicante and Santiago de Compostela, with three services a week.
The British market remains particularly important too. Current plans point to growth on Jet2’s Alicante-London Gatwick connection during the winter season.
Winter schedule could grow by around 5%
Current estimates suggest Alicante-Elche Airport could see winter traffic increase by around 5% compared with the previous season.
That figure is not final. Airlines are still completing their slot reservations, so routes, frequencies and overall numbers could change before the winter programme is settled. Current projections put possible growth between 5% and 10%.
But one trend is already clear: Alicante’s flight map is becoming less dependent on summer.
For Costa Blanca residents looking for a winter city break, a trip home or simply somewhere different for a few days, that means a noticeably bigger departure board to choose from.
Bridging the Gap’s recap
- Alicante-Elche Airport currently expects more than 22,000 flights during the 2026/2027 winter season.
- Airlines plan more than 4.2 million inbound seats across 203 routes.
- Summer routes to destinations including Hannover, Belgrade, Luxembourg and Yerevan will continue through winter.
- Pegasus plans a daily Alicante-Istanbul service throughout the season.
- Ryanair starts flights to Catania on 25 October, with Wizz Air joining the route on 15 December.
- Wizz Air plans a new twice-weekly service to Târgu Mureș from January 2027.
- New domestic routes will connect Alicante with A Coruña and Santiago de Compostela in December.
- The winter programme remains provisional while airlines complete their slot reservations.
