Alicante-Elche Airport is to undergo a massive renovation to the tune of €1.1 billion, including a brand-new airport dock primarily for British passengers who now have to carry out EES border checks.
Q: Why is Alicante Airport being renovated and expanded?
A: Alicante-Elche Miguel Hernández Airport is one of the busiest in Spain and expects to handle over 20 million passengers by the end of 2025. The highest year-on-year increase this summer was recorded at Alicante, with 8.3 percent more arrivals than in July 2025 during the previous year.
This is due to its popularity as a vacation destination but also because it’s the province where non-resident foreigners buy up the most holiday homes. According to Spain’s General Council of Notaries non-resident foreigners bought up the most properties in Alicante last year – 35.9 percent of the total.
Airport operator Aena has said that an expansion is necessary “to provide the airport with the capacity to handle future growth, focusing on quality and optimising the experience for both passengers and airlines”.
The airport also requires a new terminal dock for processing the arrival of non-EU passengers since the introduction of the EU’s Entry-Exit System at the airport at the end of October. A total of 6.12 million British passengers used Alicante airport in 2024 alone, meaning that a huge number of people arriving at the airport will be using the EES machines for fingerprinting and photographs.
The new design will allow the airport to handle up to 26 million passengers annually, according to Aena’s forecasts.
READ ALSO: Alicante-Elche joins other Spanish airports in launching EES border checks
Q: What are the plans for the Alicante Airport expansion?
A: There are several parts of the airport that will be renovated and expanded. The improvements will cover the entire terminal area, including parking and roads. The airport’s current surface area will also increase by almost 30 percent.
The old terminal building is set to be demolished, and a new terminal annex created for non-EU passengers will be built in its place. This will allow for the management of future non-Schengen traffic, with centralised border controls adapted to the new EU regulations and new e-gates for these passengers.
According to the Alicante Press, “It will have modern boarding gates assisted by walkways, and it responds to the need to offer greater comfort and better services to passengers from countries outside the Schengen area, such as the United Kingdom, who represent the majority of international tourists on the Costa Blanca”.
The renovations will also provide the airport with a new security control with the modern technology which allows liquids and electronic devices not to be removed from hand luggage, as well as greater quantities of liquids than just 100ml. This will provide a higher quality service and improve transit times.
The security control area will also have automated conveyor belts and state-of-the-art baggage inspection equipment, while there will also be shopping areas and an exclusive VIP Lounge.
Lastly, improvements are also planned for runways, which will reduce aircraft taxiing times. This will not only increase capacity but also efficiency, resulting in lower emissions by reducing turnaround times and allowing for faster runway departures.
Aena’s president, Maurici Lucena has said that the expansion will be carried out under the most demanding environmental and sustainability criteria”. According to Lucena, “Aena has always promoted modern, safe, and sustainable airports, with infrastructure capable of guaranteeing quality connectivity while respecting the environment”.
READ ALSO: Spain’s airports to get €13 billion revamp as tourism booms
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Q: How much money will be invested in the expansion?
A: Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez recently announced a major investment of €1.15 billion for Alicante-Elche Miguel Hernández Airport from 2027-2031.
Aena has currently allocated more than €58.2 million to the initial stages of the Alicante airport’s renovation. This figure includes nearly €20 million allocated for the tender to draft the project for adapting the terminal and passenger walkways.
In total, €12.8 billion has been allocated for the modernisation of Spanish airports from 2027 to 2031. This is Aena’s largest investment in airports in the last 20 years in Spain.
The money will primarily go towards improvements to terminals, airfields, IT, digitalisation, safety, services, sustainability and innovation, Aena has confirmed.
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Q: When will the renovation work be complete?
A: Work began on the expansion of the boarding gates in early October 2025. According to the contract’s terms and conditions, the winning company has a maximum period of 23 months to carry out the renovations, which must be done during periods of low operational activity in order to minimise the impact on air traffic and passengers. Therefore, this initial deadline will be the summer of 2027.
This is just the first part of the project, however. As mentioned, the investment has been promised up until 2031, so this is likely the timeframe by which all sections of the airport will be complete, if everything goes according to plan.
