Alicante-Elche airport to undergo major changes with €1.1 billion investment.
Credit: Andreas Strandman, Unsplash
Alicante–Elche Miguel Hernández Airport is preparing for a €1.1 billion transformation that will reshape how millions of passengers – particularly those arriving from the UK – pass through one of Spain’s busiest holiday gateways. The Alicante airport expansion forms a major part of Spain’s €12.9 billion national airport modernisation plan, but few hubs are as closely linked to British tourism, property ownership and year-round mobility as this Costa Blanca favourite.
With a new non-Schengen terminal area, upgraded security systems and the rollout of Europe’s biometric EU Entry/Exit System (EES), the travel experience for British visitors is entering a new era.
Alicante’s billion-euro upgrade
Aena has confirmed that Alicante–Elche will receive one of the largest investment packages in its entire Spanish network. The project expands the existing terminal by roughly 30 per cent, creating significantly more boarding, check-in and commercial space. A brand-new non-Schengen dock will be added specifically for passengers arriving from outside the Schengen zone – including the UK – and will contain an enlarged, centralised border-control area built around biometric processing.
The redevelopment also includes the rollout of next-generation security scanners, which are expected to eventually allow liquids and electronics to remain inside hand luggage. Once complete, the airport’s annual capacity is expected to rise from its current 15–18 million passengers to around 26 million.
Modernised baggage systems, improved circulation areas and additional airbridges will also help the airport cope with the sheer volume of UK flights that now pass through it daily.
Why it matters for British travellers and expats
For many of our readers, Alicante–Elche is more than an airport – it is the principal bridge between the UK and Costa Blanca. More than six million British passengers use it every year, making the UK its single largest source of international traffic. The British footprint extends beyond tourism; expats and property owners depend on Alicante for frequent travel, family visits and long-term stays.
These upgrades come as the EU Entry/Exit System begins reshaping border procedures. British visitors, now classed as third-country nationals after Brexit, must register biometric data when crossing into Schengen. Early rollouts at Alicante have seen queues of 45–75 minutes at peak times, especially when several UK flights arrive at once. Families, older travellers and those unfamiliar with the new technology have found the transition challenging.
The expansion is designed to ease these pressures, but passengers should expect inconsistent experiences while both EES and major construction work settle in.
What British residents are saying: mixed early experiences with EES at Alicante
Over the past week, British residents and regular travellers have shared a flurry of reports online about how EES is working in real time at Alicante airport – and the picture is far from uniform. Experiences differ by time of day, number of arriving flights, staffing, and even which officer you speak to.
Some arrivals say that Alicante has already begun using a “residents lane.” One traveller reported that his wife was directed to a designated area for residents on arrival. But others said that while signs exist, officers sometimes instruct residents to join the same large queue as non-EU tourists: “There is a sign saying that if you’re a resident, speak to police. But they just send you to the back of the queue.”
Queue times vary dramatically. One resident described an 85-minute wait, saying most UK passports still couldn’t be processed by the machines. But others reported almost no delay at all. Another British couple said they landed when only one flight was arriving and were waved directly into the EU passport lane after showing their TIE cards, with no passport stamp and no EES processing required.
Experiences at nearby Murcia Airport have also been mixed. One passenger said he was simply asked whether he was a resident and then sent to a machine that completed the EES registration automatically.
Some travellers arriving into Alicante this week described a surprisingly smooth process. One family arriving at 5pm said they were guided to a new fingerprint-registration area where the machines were “really straightforward” to use. They reached the baggage hall in around 20 minutes, with only a brief delay when one relative’s fingerprints failed to register and he was sent to a manual booth. They also noticed dozens of additional machines not yet in use, suggesting further capacity is on the way.
Others, however, encountered the opposite: “Chaos and big queues,” one passenger wrote after landing to find ten EES gates open and “loads of people trying to get through at once.”
These contrasting accounts underline the reality: the EES rollout at Alicante and other major airports in Spain is experiencing some growing pains and is still settling.
How to navigate Alicante during EES and construction works
Until both the expansion and the biometric system are fully stabilised, travellers are strongly advised to plan ahead. For now, arriving at least three hours before departure remains sensible, especially at peak holiday times. First-time EES registration involves scanning a passport, providing fingerprints and having a facial image captured – steps that can significantly increase processing times.
British residents holding TIE cards may still face mixed instructions, so they should be prepared for either lane assignment. Airlines are updating advice frequently based on real-world conditions, and passengers should check both airline guidance and official European Commission EES information before travelling.
What’s next for Alicante–Elche
Aena’s investment programme runs from 2027 to 2031, though early preparatory works are already under way. Initial phases focus on adapting the terminal layout for biometric border control and preparing the foundations for the non-Schengen dock. Larger structural works will follow, alongside the broader digital infrastructure that Aena is deploying across Spain.
Alicante’s upgrade also sits within Europe’s wider shift to “smart borders”, with EES becoming standard across the EU and the ETIAS travel authorisation expected later in the decade. For the Costa Blanca, these changes signal a long-term commitment to maintaining strong, modernised connections with the UK.