Alicante–Elche Airport has enjoyed a strong summer thanks to a wave of new routes, particularly those connecting the Costa Blanca with Eastern Europe.
Several destinations have performed so well that airlines have already decided to keep them running through the winter.
Leading the way is the new service to Chișinău, capital of Moldova. Operated by both Fly One and SkyUp, the route began in May yet still reached an impressive 29,024 passengers during the high season. According to Aena, the results have been so positive that both airlines will now operate year-round flights.
Close behind is the airport’s brand-new link to Belgrade. Wizz Air launched the route in early June, and from then until October it carried 28,223 passengers.
Ryanair has also enjoyed a standout summer. Its new routes to Linz and Salzburg in Austria both surpassed 21,000 passengers. Its Bydgoszcz route in Poland reached 22,367 travellers. All three routes will now continue through winter. They join six other summer routes the airline has chosen to extend, plus a new addition: Bratislava.
Alicante-Elche Airport: Strengthening existing routes
EasyJet has seen similar success. Its Naples service, launched in the low season and continued through summer, carried more than 21,200 passengers. Alicante’s only connection to Greece, easyJet’s route to Athens, reached 16,350 passengers. This strong performance has encouraged the Provincial Council of Alicante to seek extra frequencies for next summer.
Volotea has also made its mark by taking over the Bordeaux service from Ryanair. The French route, known for linking the Costa Blanca with Europe’s wine capital, recorded 17,640 passengers in the high season.
Other airlines have strengthened existing routes. Norwegian joined Air Baltic on the connection with Riga, helping boost traffic from 21,871 passengers last year to more than 46,000 this summer. Jet2’s arrival on the Bournemouth route has produced a similar effect. The British airline opened a base there earlier this year and now flies directly to Alicante, increasing total passenger numbers from 72,000 in 2024 to 85,129 this year.
