RYANAIR will add 12% more seats to its 2025/26 winter schedule at Alicante-Elche airport.
Extensions of summer services come after the budget carrier slashed routes to regional facilities in Spain due to a dispute over tax rates with airport operator Aena.
Ryanair’s Director of Communications in Spain, Alejandra Ruiz, said that 10 extra routes will run this winter compared to a year ago- making a total of 79 running to and from Alicante-Elche.
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She made the announcement on Tuesday during the Costa Blanca Air Connectivity Conference in Alicante.
Flights introduced last summer from Linz and Salzburg in Austria as well as Bydgoszcz and Rzesow in Poland will be maintained.
Other summer route extensions include Aberdeen and Cardiff in the United Kingdom; Stockholm Vasteras and Smaland in Sweden; Bratislava in Slovakia: and Lanzarote in the Canary Islands.
Extra services will run to Milan, Edinburgh, Budapest, and Marrakech.
Alejandra Ruiz expects passenger numbers for Ryanair to reach 8.3 million at Alicante-Elche by the end of 2025.
“All this in a fleet of 16 aircraft based at the airport that will allow us to support around 6,700 indirect employees,” Ruiz declared.
She said that the Irish carrier will account for 43% of the airport’s market share for the winter season.
Asked about regional airports, Ruiz said: “Our commitment to Spain is still strong and it is still important as we want to continue growing and we are going to continue to do so in strong and competitive airports such as Alicante-Elche, but unfortunately now the regions lose out with Aena’s tax system.”
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Am I dreaming or did Elche just recently apply for permission to expand because they are running at full capacity? Presumably the Elche airport authorities have agreed to Ryanair’s plans!