Tag: Alicante-Elche airport

Alicante–Elche Airport (Spanish: Aeropuerto de Alicante-Elche) (IATA: ALC, ICAO: LEAL) was originally named Alicante-El Altet Airport. In 2018 it achieved the status of the fifth busiest airport in Spain based on passenger numbers.

Alicante-Elche Airport is located between Alicante and Elche, in the municipality of Elche, province of Alicante, community of Valencia, Spain. As well as serving Alicante, Elche, and other Costa Blanca hotspots such as Benidorm, Torrevieja, and the Orihuela-Costa, the airport also services the Region of Murcia.

The airport is a hub for Air Nostrum, Jet2.com, Norwegian Air International, Ryanair and Vueling. Since the early 2000’s, passenger traffic has grown significantly following increased economic activity in the area from the real estate and construction boom and increased tourism. The airport current transports around 15 million passengers each year and is one of the top 50 busiest airports in Europe.

Most flights (around 80%) are international from Northern European countries, including the United Kingdom, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Belgium and Sweden.

Alicante-El Altet airport opened on 4 May 1967, replacing the older aerodrome La Rabassa that had served Alicante since 1936. The original terminal was renovated in the 1990’s and in 2011, amid some controversy, a brand new terminal building was opened which has enabled the airport to cater for up to 20 million passengers each year.