The Valencian airports of Alicante-Elche and Valencia are stretched beyond capacity, grappling with record passenger growth and outdated infrastructure. Urgent expansion plans remain stalled, threatening economic losses and the region’s tourism dominance.
The Valencian airports of Alicante-Elche Miguel Hernández and Valencia are buckling under the strain of unprecedented passenger numbers, with endless queues, traffic bottlenecks, and insufficient seating exposing their outdated infrastructure. Despite record-breaking traffic, promised expansions for the Valencian airports remain in limbo, raising concerns about economic losses and the region’s ability to sustain its tourism boom.
In June, Valencia’s Manises airport handled 1,079,810 passengers, an 8.9% increase from the previous year, and managed 8,277 flights. Alicante-Elche saw even higher traffic, with 1,921,706 passengers (up 8.4%) and 11,730 operations (up 7.1%). For the first half of 2025, Manises recorded 5.6 million passengers (up 11.1%) and over 44,700 flights (up 9.3%), while Alicante-Elche surpassed 9.2 million passengers (up 10.3%) and 58,400 flights (up 10.6%). These sustained growth figures at the Valencian airports highlight a critical mismatch with infrastructure that has barely evolved in the past decade.
Challenges at Valencia’s Manises Airport
At Valencia’s Manises airport, issues begin at the access points. Taxi queues merge with private vehicles in the Departures area, creating a notorious traffic bottleneck and frustration among transport professionals. The Valencia Taxi Union Federation has criticized the “third-world” conditions of driver waiting areas, lacking shade and adequate restrooms.
Inside the terminal, the situation is equally dire. Travelers face long security lines, despite 2023 expansions to control areas. A shortage of seats forces many to sit on the floor during peak times. According to the workers’ committee, staffing levels are insufficient, with employees overwhelmed by soaring workloads at the Valencian airports.
Aena, the airport operator, has implemented minor improvements to ease the strain. These include expanding the VIP lounge from 187 to 220 seats, installing new water fountains, and adding benches for passengers with reduced mobility. A new commercial terrace is also under construction. However, these measures fail to address the core issues of limited space and understaffing at the Valencian airports.
Bottlenecks at Alicante-Elche
At Alicante-Elche, the absence of a second runway remains the primary bottleneck. Despite closing 2024 with a record 18.3 million passengers and seeing a 12.7% increase through April 2025, Aena’s expansion plans for the Valencian airports do not include this critical infrastructure. Local authorities, including the Alicante Provincial Council and Chamber of Commerce, warn that without a second runway, the airport risks collapse in the coming years.
The lack of a direct rail connection further exacerbates issues, making Alicante-Elche one of Spain’s few major airports without train access. Public transport is limited to buses or private vehicles, contributing to traffic jams, increased emissions, and user dissatisfaction at the Valencian airports.
Economic Risks
Studies by the Council of Chambers of the Valencian Community and Alicante’s Chamber of Commerce estimate that the failure to expand Manises could lead to annual losses of €933 million by 2030, with a potential loss of four million passengers yearly and 17,500 jobs. For Alicante-Elche, the absence of a second runway could prevent two million tourists from arriving annually, resulting in €920 million in lost tourism revenue and a €785 million shortfall in regional GDP growth if urgent action is not taken for the Valencian airports.
Aena insists it is working on expansion designs, but no timeline or budget has been approved, leaving projects in the “study phase.” This delay has sparked growing institutional frustration, especially as the central government allocates €3.2 billion to expand Barcelona’s El Prat airport, highlighting a perceived regional disparity for the Valencian airports.
The Valencian Generalitat considers this a territorial grievance, urging the central government to expedite pending actions to prevent the obsolescence of these strategic airports. Regional Minister for Innovation, Industry, Trade, and Tourism, Marián Cano, emphasized that expanding both terminals “must be an immediate priority” to ensure the competitiveness of the Valencian airports’ tourism and economy. She added that June’s figures “reaffirm the strategic importance” of these infrastructures for the Valencian Community.
Only through swift action can the Valencian airports continue to serve the millions of visitors arriving annually and sustain growth as a leading tourism and logistics hub.
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© Valencian Airports Face Collapse Amid Record Passenger Surge – Valencian.es
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