Rated as one of the top fifty busiest airports in Europe, Alicante airport experiences heavy traffic of passengers and cargo that also makes it the sixth busiest airport in Spain. Being home to the province of Alicante this makes it the busiest in the Valencian community.
Originally named El Atet, the airport was first opened in 1967, replacing an older one called aerodrome La Rabassa that served Alcante for many years since 1936. After one year when there seemed to be a sudden increase in the number of passengers, runway was extended to another three kilometers. Iberia was seen to have successfully established regular flights that made connections like Alicante-Madrid and the Alicante-Barcelona around that time.
Up to eighty percent of all its flights are international. The largest number of the passengers comes from the United kingdom, Netherlands and Germany. Both of it’s domestic and international flights have been seen to increase in the last decade, more people are now able to access some of the domestic destinations such as Madrid, Barcelona and Palma de Mallorca.
With a third terminal under construction due to heavy traffic, currently there are two terminals that are operational at the Alicante airport. Terminal 1 is styled as T1 and operates efficiently with 39 check-in desks. The terminal is operated by all airlines. Raynair and Easyjet that operate both terminals, record the largest number pf passengers. The other terminal 2 “T2” is adjacent to terminal 1 and has fewer check-in desks at fourteen that are numbered 51-64. The airline that frequently checks in at this terminal is Easyjet.
With a number of flights made by different airlines to different destinations it has indirectly impacted in other business sectors. Since it’s just a few kilometers from the Alicante city, it’s accessible by buses, taxis and even personal cars.