Valencia Calls For Urgent Expansion of Region’s Airports After Record Passenger Surge
Following record-breaking passenger figures in September, the Valencian regional government is pressing Spain’s central authorities to fast-track long-delayed expansions at the airports of Valencia and Alicante-Elche Miguel Hernández to prevent capacity overload.
The regional minister for Innovation, Industry, Commerce and Tourism, Marián Cano, has once again called on Spain’s central government to urgently expand the airports of Valencia (Manises) and Alicante-Elche Miguel Hernández. Her request follows the latest air traffic data released by AENA this week, which confirm an all-time record for passenger numbers in the month of September.
Cano stressed that these projects are “indispensable and must be addressed immediately” to safeguard the competitiveness of both Valencian tourism and the regional economy. She warned that the airports in the Comunidad Valenciana are already operating beyond their technical capacity, highlighting the need to begin expansion works “without further delay.”
According to the minister, the Valencian region is becoming an increasingly popular destination for international tourists who use its airports as gateways, and both the data and technical assessments fully support carrying out these improvements.
AENA’s figures for September and the year to date set new all-time highs at both airports, reinforcing the regional government’s call to expand the facilities in Valencia and Alicante-Elche Miguel Hernández. The goal, officials said, is to ensure sufficient operating capacity to keep pace with ongoing growth in air traffic.
Valencia Airport recorded its best-ever September, handling 1,071,198 passengers, up 1.2% year-on-year. A total of 8,188 flights were registered, a slight decrease of 0.2% compared to last year.
Meanwhile, Alicante-Elche Miguel Hernández Airport continued its upward trend, reaching 1,907,274 passengers, a 5.9% increase over the previous September. The terminal managed 11,691 flights, marking 4.7% growth from the same month in 2024.
Accumulated Data for 2025
Year-to-date figures for 2025 also show strong gains. Valencia Airport handled 8,989,690 passengers, 8.2% more than in the same period last year, with 70,374 operations, a rise of 6.9%. Between January and September, Alicante-Elche Miguel Hernández Airport operated 95,524 flights, up 8.5%, and welcomed 15,315,278 passengers, representing 8.7% annual growth.
