easyJet, Europe's leading airline, today celebrated the opening of its new base at Alicante-Elche Miguel Hernández airport, a step that further strengthens its presence in Spain, where it now has 4 bases. The first flight operated by Alicante based aircraft and crew took off on Sunday 31 March at 6.00 am to Glasgow with Captain Daniel Ankerso in command.
The airline has allocated three aircraft of the A320 family at Alicante-Elche Miguel Hernández airport, generating around 100 direct jobs for pilots and crew. The opening of this new seasonal base, which will be operational from March to October, consolidates easyJet's position in Spain, with 19 aircraft based in the country and around 900 people employed on local contracts.
In addition to the economic boost that this announcement means for Alicante, the new base will allow easyJet to explore unserved markets and support existing key traffic flows. easyJet recently announced 10 new connections from Alicante, bringing its route network to 22 destinations and connecting it with key cities in Europe, such as Amsterdam, Geneva, Prague, and Nantes, among others. Since the first route between Alicante and London Stansted in 1999, the airline has carried more than 30 million passengers to/from Alicante and has positioned itself as the 2nd airline in terms of international connections.
All in all, easyJet offers 1.5 million seats (capacity) in Alicante this summer season, an increase of around 10% compared to the same season in 2023.
Javier Gándara, easyJet's country director for Southern Europe, commented:
"With more than 30 million passengers carried since 1999, Alicante was one of the most popular destinations in our network that did not yet have a base, until now. Opening our fourth base in Spain in Alicante confirms our commitment to this region and is an opportunity to further expand and consolidate our operations in the country.”
As Gándara explains, "the seasonal base model allows us to perfectly adapt to the needs of the market, boosting existing flows and giving us the opportunity to explore underved markets in the future that would have previously been inaccessible. Today we are particularly excited to be here in Alicante, to celebrate the beginning of our operations from the new base and to introduce easyJet, its business models and its values to the local community.”
The Costa Blanca is also in the top 10 favourite destinations of easyJet Holidays customers, significantly contributing to the international tourism in the region and especially from the UK, with Manchester, London and Bristol being the main ports of origin. Bookings for the next summer are encouraging and currently already c. 60% ahead compared to the same period last year.
The base opening was marked by an event attended by high representatives of Aena, easyJet, local and regional authorities, as well as the Alicante business community, represented by the Hotel and Tourism Business Association of the Valencian Community (HOSBEC), the Business Confederation of the Valencian Community (CEV) and the Association of Real Estate Developers of the Province of Alicante (Provia).
Toni Pérez, president of the Diputación de Alicante and president of the Costa Blanca Tourist Board, has stated that the fact that easyJet is establishing a base at the airport
"consolidates the Costa Blanca as a preferred destination, both in summer and the rest of the year. easyJet has shown an absolute confidence and commitment to the province of Alicante, aware of the results that the Alicante terminal records year after year, with a record figure of more than 15 million passengers carried in 2023".