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Construction of a new taxiway at Alicante-Elche Miguel Hernández Airport is set to begin between late February and early March, marking the next major step in the airport's ongoing expansion plans.

 

The project, designed to improve aircraft movement on the ground before take-off and after landing, should reduce turnaround times and free up additional flight slots for airlines. Valencian company Pavasal won the contract last August with a bid of just over €16.7 million, well below the initial budget of €21 million.

 

After nearly two months of planning and topographic surveys, technicians from Aena and Pavasal have agreed that the construction camp will be set up by the end of February in the area parallel to the existing taxiway.

 

The first phase will involve laying drainage pipes and other service installations, followed by land filling to level out the existing slope. After that, workers will install lighting, new mega-light towers and extend the perimeter fence and FOD (Foreign Object Damage) barrier. The final phase will see the apron area paved and painted.

 

The entire project has been scheduled over a maximum of 27 months, with most work carried out at night and during quieter periods to minimise disruption to operations. The aim is to avoid altering flight schedules as much as possible, which means construction will take place during both this winter and next winter.

 

The new taxiway is in addition to almost €11.3 million worth of improvements already contracted at the airport since late 2023. These include a new Airport Management Centre to coordinate operations in real time, renovated air conditioning in the jetways, solar panels on parking canopy roofs and the expansion of ten boarding gates to allow simultaneous front and rear boarding.

 

A contract to restore and reopen the VIP lounge, which closed after a fire in 2020, is expected to be awarded to Acciona shortly for another €5 million. Combined with the taxiway project, total investment now stands at over €33 million.

 

Most importantly for passengers, the airport is in the final stages of awarding a contract to design its major terminal expansion, which will involve a total investment of €1.154 billion.

 

The expansion plans include building a new boarding pier as an extension of Terminal 2, running parallel to the runway. This will require demolishing the old, disused Terminal 1 and the smaller General Aviation terminal building.

 

Once complete, the airport should be able to handle at least 26 million passengers, up from the current record of 19.9 million set in 2025.