ALICANTE-ELCHE and Valencia airports will be ‘expanded’ in future investments by airport operator Aena.
It’s chairman and CEO, Maurici Lucena, told a shareholders meeting in Madrid that Aena is ‘preparing very seriously’ for the increase in air traffic with an ‘appreciable increase’ in investments.
The plans will be included in its Spanish Airport Regulation Document covering the period between 2027 and 2031.
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Both airports have reported record traveller numbers over the first three months of 2024.
The Valencian president, Carlos Mazon, has called for a second runway at Alicante-Elche airport to cope with extra demand along with improvements at Valencia, but its not clear yet what the expansions would entail.
Lucena said that ‘we will have more details in the coming weeks and months in regard to Alicante-Elche and Valencia’.
The Transport Minister, Oscar Puente, said in March that Alicante airport ‘does not need to be expanded over the next two years’, even with the forecast of a big rise in passengers.
“It is foreseen in the current master plan and when Aena considers that it is needed, it will do so in advance,” Puente emphasised.
Two weeks ago the Ministry said it was willing to respond to the future needs of the two airports and analysis was taking place to plan what investments Aena would need.
Valencia Airport and Alicante-Elche Airport had their best ever passenger numbers last year.
Valencia registered 9.9 million travellers- up 22.6% compared to 2022.
Alicante-Elche airport clocked up 15.7 million passengers last year to beat the previous record set in 2019.
