Alicante Airport In A Nutshell

Alicante Airport is among the top ten busiest Airports in Spain which is mainly due to the fact that it serves the popular tourist destinations such as Benidorm, Denia, Calpe, Torrevieja and all points along the Costa Blanca. The airport is one of the most dynamic and up and coming business and economic zones on the Mediterranean coast.

The main countries of origin for passengers passing through Alicante airport are the United Kingdom, Germany and Holland. However, scheduled domestic traffic has increased in recent years with Madrid, Barcelona and Palma de Mallorca representing the destinations most in demand. In 2008, Alicante Airport handled just under 10 million passengers, over 80,000 flight operations and nearly 6,000 tonnes of cargo.

The Airport currently has two terminals although the new temporary Terminal 2 building is still yet to be completed and has been constructed to cope with traffic demand. Features include 16 telescopic walkways for passengers to board the aircraft from the departure gates. The project is scheduled for completion in 2010 and will increase the airport's operational capacity to 20 million passengers per year.

Alicante Airport is located to the southwest of the capital, in the municipality of Elche. Airport access is via the A-7 and N-332. The distance between the urban centre of Alicante and the turnoff for the airport is 8 km and the average travelling time varies from 15 minutes to 30 minutes during rush hour.

Passengers arriving at Alicante Airport will pass through a walkway into the baggage reclaim hall which is situated on the ground floor. From here access to the main arrivals hall on the lower floor is via a ramp. The corresponding car hire desks are located in the arrivals hall along with an airport information desk and a cafeteria.

If you require a taxi then these can be found directly outside the terminal building. Approximate day time costs for some of the major holiday destinations are as follows, Alicante €14.00, Altea €68.00, Benidorm €60.00, Calpe €79.00, Denia €126.00, Elche €18.00 and Torrevieja €46.00.

If you are planning on getting a bus to your holiday destination then you need to exit the terminal building walk across the street and head left. The Bus stops are around a 2 minute walk away and from here you will be able to catch a bus to destinations such as Alicante city centre, Benidorm, Elche, Murcia and Denia. From 14 August, the urban bus line C-6 linking Alicante Airport to the city centre, introducued a new route designed to reduce the trip time and increase frequency to every twenty minutes. A single fare to alicante city centre costs €2.60.

Departures and check in at Alicante Airport take place on the ground floor while boarding for both domestic and international flights takes place on the terminals first floor and in the new temporary passenger processing zone in Terminal 2 which is connected to the main building via a walkway. Flights to Alicante are readily available from a variety of airline companies operating out of around 28 different airports in the UK.

Remember that you are only allowed to take small quantities of liquids in your hand luggage, and it must be carried in containers with a maximum individual capacity of 100 ml. Each passenger must pack the containers in a clear, self-sealing plastic bag with a maximum capacity of one litre in a bag measuring approximately 20 x 20 cm. If you do not have the necessary bag to store the liquids that you would like to carry in your hand luggage, you can get it free of charge at the airport's security checkpoints.

If you are picking someone up at Alicante Airport or if you are flying out from Alicante Airport and need to park your car there you can use the new car park at Alicante Airport which has now been completed as part of the first phase of its multi-million euro revamp. The car park has space for up to 6,200 vehicles and the tariffs are as follows, first half hour or less, €0.64, second half hour or less, €2.02, all or part of each additional hour, €1.64, daily maximum up to 4 days, €18.00 and a daily maximum from the fifth day of €14.40.

By: Roberto Rodriguez

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The author of this article is Roberto Rodriguez who specialises in writing airport guides including Alicante Airport which contains detailed information on flights to Alicante and Alicante Airport car hire.