Ryanair seems to be giving off rather mixed signals.
On the one hand, the airline is trimming its flight schedules from several Spanish airports. On the other, it is adding new routes at Alicante-Elche Miguel Hernández Airport for next summer.
The low-cost airline, known for keeping travellers on their toes, is once again expanding its European network.
After reinstating its link with Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia, more than a decade after the last flight, Ryanair is now turning its attention to Germany.
Ryanair’s mixed signals: German market
The German market is one of Alicante’s busiest international connections. In August alone, Germany overtook the Netherlands to become the airport’s second-largest source of passengers, recording 131,849 travellers.
The latest addition is a first for Alicante-Elche: a brand-new connection to the German city of Saarbrücken, in the Saarland region on the French border. The city, home to around 183,500 residents, will become Ryanair’s twelfth destination in Germany.
According to Saarbrücken Airport, the new route will launch in summer 2026, joining other fresh connections from the German terminal to Trapani in Sicily and Lamezia Terme in Calabria. For the first time, Ryanair will fly between Saarbrücken and Alicante, marking another small victory for the Costa Blanca’s tourism sector.
Ryanair’s flight schedule
The Irish carrier plans to operate the route twice weekly, on Thursdays and Sundays. Flights from Alicante will depart at 19:00 on Thursdays, landing in Germany at 21:35. On Sundays, they will take off at 7:05, touching down at 09:40.
The return flights will leave Saarbrücken at 22:00 in the evening on Thursdays and at 10:05 in the morning on Sundays, arriving on the Costa Blanca just after midnight and shortly after noon, respectively. Each journey will take roughly two hours.
This marks Ryanair’s second new connection at Alicante-Elche Airport in a short time. The airline recently announced the revival of its Bratislava route, echoing a move by Hungarian competitor Wizz Air. That route will operate four times a week on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, beginning on 27 October, with a flight time of just under three hours.
