Costa Blanca airport smashes annual passenger record with two months remaining of 2024

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A NEW annual passenger record has been set for Alicante-Elche airport with two months still remaining of 2024.

Airport operator Aena said that almost 1.8 million people used the facility in October- up 13.3% on last year’s record high.

It means that 15.9 million passengers have travelled via the airport over the first 10 months of 2024, beating last year’s record of 15.75 million travellers.

ALICANTE-ELCHE DEPARTURE ZONE(Cordon Press image)

The annual growth between January and October is an impressive 16.5% helped by an increase in flights operated.

That figure stands at 99,302 up to the end of October- a 14.9% increase.

Last month, 1.57 million international passengers were part of the 1.8 million total.

Once again the United Kingdom was the main market with 594,284 users, followed by the Netherlands, with 114,560, and Germany, with 106,688.

Belgium was fourth with 89,848, and Norway fifth, with 81,769 travellers.

The figures will give more ammunition to the Valencian government’s calls for a second runway- so far rejected by the Transport Ministry who have backed a second terminal.

Valencia’s Tourist Minister will go to Florida next month for a US travel conference in a bid to woo a transatlantic connection with New York.