Spain’s Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, has confirmed more than €1 billion of investment for Alicante-Elche Miguel Hernández Airport.
This will be invested between 2027 and 2031. The plan includes work on the old terminal, a new taxiway, and other upgrades aimed at boosting aircraft traffic and avoiding congestion.
But there is a catch. Despite strong pressure from Alicante’s business sector, the long-requested second runway has been left out of the plans.
Big spending across Spain’s airports
The announcement came during Sánchez’s visit to the airport, where he presented the new Airport Regulation Document (DORA) 2027–2031. This plan covers Aena’s infrastructure projects nationwide, with a total of €13 billion in investment, a big jump from just over €2 billion in the last plan. According to Sánchez, every Spanish airport will benefit.
Why does Alicante-Elche Airport need upgrading?
Aena predicts the airport will handle more than 20 million passengers by the end of 2025. That would break yet another record, after the 18.3 million passengers in 2024, and could also see the airport named Europe’s best in its category for the fifth time.
On a national level, Spain expects 320 million passengers in 2025, 15 million more than in 2024. Sánchez pointed out that one in ten passengers flying through Spain will pass through the Valencian Community, with Alicante-Elche handling two out of three of those arrivals.
Alicante is currently the fastest-growing airport in Spain for international arrivals during the summer.
The second runway question
Despite this growth, the government has again ignored calls for a second runway, a request pushed by Alicante’s Chamber of Commerce and the Generalitat. The Ministry of Transport argues that airlines themselves have not asked for it.
Even Aena’s president, Maurici Lucena, has admitted that “things are starting to get tight” at several airports as post-pandemic traffic surges. He stressed that large airports need “a major wave of investment” to cope with demand.
Spain’s Transport Minister, Óscar Puente, echoed the concern, confirming the passenger record expected in 2025. Meanwhile, Aena has clarified that the taxiway project has not yet been drafted and will depend on airline input.
That means a second runway isn’t ruled out completely; but there is no timeline in sight.
