A Spanish airport that’s one of the busiest in the country has announced a £984 million plan for long-term expansion, including a new terminal to help alleviate entry-exit system (EES) queues for Brits.
Alicante-Elche Miguel Hernández airport is Spain’s fifth busiest airport and very popular with Brits due to its close proximity to the resort of Benidorm and other holiday hotspots. Due to the impact of EES, it now plans to construct an entirely new terminal for non-Schengen area traffic, which will have its own centralised border control.
The new terminal could ease border control queues for Brits and other non-Schengen travellers. Since it was rolled out on April 10, there have been reports of long queues across European airports, with many British holidaymakers spending hours waiting to use the new digital system.
In addition to easier security, the expansion will increase the number of boarding gates, add new retail areas, and include a new VIP lounge. Security upgrades will include a “state-of-the-art” checkpoint, which should allow for liquids and electronics to be kept in tourists’ hand luggage when scanned, making the process smoother. Overall, the airport’s surface area will increase 30%.
Alicante-Elche Airport processed 19.9 million passengers in 2025 and projections show a potential 11.7% growth over the next five years, which would see the airport hit record highs of 22.3 million passengers. UK nationals account for one in three passengers at the airport, and a huge percentage of its air traffic is to and from the British Isles.
However, Aena has said the expansion isn’t just about higher capacity, but also cutting aircraft waiting times, making the airport more efficient, and allowing quicker runway clearance for planes.
The expansion is part of a project named DORA 3 which will be overseen by Spanish airport operator Aena. From 2027 to 2031, €453 million (about £386 million) will be spent on the project, with the overall investment coming in at €1.15 billion (around £984 million) and a completion date of 2036.
Funding for the project will come in part from holidaymakers’ pockets, with the airport proposing an increase in passenger charges, likely to be €0.35 per passenger - about £0.30. Currently, passengers flying from Alicante to a non-EEA airport are charged €14.29 in airport and regulatory charges, just over £12, which for consumers is usually bundled in with the cost of their flight.
Ryanair recently called for EES to be delayed until September, providing a list of airports that it said had “insufficient staff, kiosks and system readiness”, and included Alicante on the list of hubs that are “not ready” for the change alongside Tenerife South, Palma, Malaga, Milan Bergamo, Krakow and Paris Beauvais.
The expansion proposal is set to be reviewed by the Council of Ministers (Consejo de Ministros) in the Spanish Government, with a decision expected by September 30.
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