Winter at Alicante-Elche Airport is looking increasingly like summer with a coat on.
Ryanair has confirmed another substantial winter programme for the Costa Blanca, with 79 routes and 3.3 million seats available between November and the end of March.
The airline will base 15 aircraft at Alicante-Elche during the quieter months and add four routes that were not part of last winter’s schedule.
It will also increase flights on 28 existing routes, giving Costa Blanca residents more options for winter trips and helping keep visitors arriving well beyond the summer holiday season.
Four more routes for the winter
The winter schedule includes two German destinations and two Italian cities that were not available with Ryanair during the previous low season.
Friedrichshafen and Saarbrücken will provide the new German connections, while Catania and Venice join the Italian winter network.
All four routes have been extended into the winter programme rather than disappearing when the main summer season ends.
That is particularly useful for residents who prefer travelling outside the busiest months, as well as friends and family planning a winter visit to the Costa Blanca.
More flights on 28 existing routes
Ryanair is not simply keeping its existing network running.
The airline plans to increase frequencies on 28 routes, with Germany and Italy among the main beneficiaries.
Flights serving Portugal will increase by 58%, while capacity to the Czech Republic will rise by 30% and Lithuania by 31%, according to Ryanair’s Spanish spokeswoman Alejandra Ruiz.
The changes strengthen connections with several Central and Eastern European markets that have become increasingly important to the Costa Blanca.
Almost the same capacity as last winter
Ryanair will base one fewer aircraft at Alicante-Elche than it did last winter, dropping from 16 to 15.
Despite that reduction, the overall programme changes very little.
Last winter the airline offered around 3.4 million seats across 79 routes. This time it will offer 3.3 million seats across the same number of routes.
That makes the winter operation only slightly smaller despite having one fewer aircraft permanently based at the airport.
€19.99 fares in launch promotion
To accompany the winter announcement, Ryanair has launched a limited promotion with fares starting at €19.99.
The promotional tickets must be booked by Friday 23 October.
As usual with low-cost fares, the headline price will depend on the route, date and availability, with extras potentially increasing the final cost.
15 aircraft based at Alicante-Elche
Ryanair remains the largest airline at Alicante-Elche Airport by passenger numbers.
The company values its 15-aircraft winter base at $1.5 billion and says its Alicante operation supports more than 7,200 local jobs.
For the Costa Blanca, the size of the winter schedule also reflects how much the tourism season has stretched beyond July and August.
A network of 79 routes through the colder months gives international visitors far more opportunity to reach the area year-round, while residents have a sizeable choice of direct European destinations without first travelling to another Spanish airport.
Bridging the Gap’s recap
- Ryanair will operate 79 routes from Alicante-Elche Airport this winter.
- Around 3.3 million seats will be available between November and the end of March.
- The airline will base 15 aircraft at Alicante-Elche.
- New winter destinations include Friedrichshafen, Saarbrücken, Catania and Venice.
- Ryanair will increase frequencies on 28 existing routes.
- Portugal, the Czech Republic and Lithuania are among the markets receiving additional capacity.
- Ryanair remains Alicante-Elche Airport’s largest airline by passenger traffic.
- Promotional fares from €19.99 are available for bookings made by Friday 23 October.
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