Jet2 and Vueling set the pace for another busy summer at Alicante-Elche airport
UK and European routes expand again as airlines build on a record-breaking year
Plans for summer 2026 are already pointing towards another very strong season at Alicante-Elche Miguel Hernández Airport, with airlines steadily rolling out bigger schedules and new connections as demand continues to grow.British airline Jet2.com is the latest to confirm an expansion, announcing a 10% increase in seat capacity compared to last summer. In practical terms, that means around 560,000 seats on its routes between Alicante and the UK, some 53,000 more than in 2025. The growth is largely driven by a new connection to London Gatwick, where Jet2 has opened a base and will operate five weekly flights to Alicante.
With this addition, Jet2 will fly directly from Alicante to all 14 of its UK bases, including airports such as Manchester, Birmingham, Leeds-Bradford, Liverpool, Bristol and, of course, London Gatwick, reaching a peak of 99 weekly flights during the summer season, up from 93 last year. According to company figures, the airline carried more than 655,000 British passengers to the province in 2025, and Alicante-Elche will now rank as its third busiest airport in Spain, behind only Palma and Tenerife. That continued rise in British traffic builds on the airport’s recent surge in passenger numbers.
Jet2 is not alone. Vueling, currently the second-largest airline at the airport by passenger numbers, has also outlined ambitious plans. The airline, part of the IAG group, expects to offer more than 1.6 million seats this summer, an increase of 18% on the same period last year, across 16 routes, nine of them international.
The expansion includes a stronger base at Alicante, supported by an additional aircraft, and significant growth on several key routes. Connections to Amsterdam will see capacity rise by around 28%, reaching 212,000 seats, with up to three daily flights. London Gatwick will also see a boost of about 24%, taking the route to 131,000 seats and 13 weekly frequencies, while Brussels, Paris-Orly and several domestic routes will also grow.
North Africa features prominently too, with increased services to Oran and Algiers, plus new routes to Tangier and Constantine. Within Spain, links to Santander, Bilbao, Tenerife North, Ibiza and Gran Canaria are all being strengthened, while routes to Barcelona and Mallorca will continue.
All of this follows a year in which Alicante and Benidorm celebrated record tourism figures and international promotion efforts intensified, including a clear push towards long-haul markets such as China.
More announcements are still expected. Ryanair and easyJet, the airport’s first and third largest airlines respectively, have yet to publish their full summer plans. With slot requests still open, there is every chance the final picture will be even bigger, underlining Alicante-Elche’s growing role as one of Spain’s most important gateways.
Image: wikicommons
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