ALICANTE-ELCHE airport set a new March passenger number record with just over 1.6 million users- up 9.1% on the previous best set in 2025.
Almost a third of travellers last month came from the United Kingdom.
March’s growth levels were not as dramatic as the 16.4% rise between 2024 and 2025, although there was a big uptick following the Covid-19 pandemic.
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Airport operator Aena says the facility accumulated a 6.6% passenger increase in the first quarter of the year compared to the same period in 2025 with a total of 3.94 million travellers.
The March 2026 breakdown showed a contrast of international users rising by 11.2% while domestic passengers fell by 4.5%.
The United Kingdom led foreign travellers with 536,966 passengers, followed by Germany with 105,409, the Netherlands with 103,575, Poland with 97,995, and Belgium with 85,961.
A total of 10,097 flights were handled representing a 7.5% increase compared to the same period in 2025.
The March report from Aena shows Alicante-Elche airport as the fourth busiest airport nationally, behind only Madrid, Barcelona, and Malaga.
It means the airport beat Palma de Mallorca as well as Gran Canaria and Tenerife South,
Alicante-Elche is now the second fastest-growing airport in percentage terms among the top ten, second only to Malaga, which saw a 9.4% increase in traffic last month.
Alicante’s 9.1% passenger increase was over double the Spanish national average of 3.8%
Nationally, Aena’s airports closed March with just under 25 million passengers.
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