EasyJet has celebrated the opening of its new base at Alicante-Elche Miguel Hernández airport, a step that further strengthens its presence in Spain, where it now has four bases.
The first flight operated by Alicante based aircraft and crew took off on Sunday 31 March at 6.00 am to Glasgow with Captain Daniel Ankerso in command.
The airline has allocated three aircraft of the A320 family at Alicante-Elche Miguel Hernández airport, generating around 100 direct jobs for pilots and crew.
The opening of this new seasonal base, which will be operational from March to October, consolidates easyJet’s position in Spain, with 19 aircraft based in the country and around 900 people employed on local contracts.
In addition to the economic boost that this announcement means for Alicante, the new base will allow easyJet to explore unserved markets and support existing key traffic flows. easyJet recently announced 10 new connections from Alicante, bringing its route network to 22 destinations and connecting it with key cities in Europe, such as Amsterdam, Geneva, Prague, and Nantes, among others.
Since the first route between Alicante and London Stansted in 1999, the airline has carried more than 30 million passengers to/from Alicante and has positioned itself as the 2nd airline in terms of international connections.
All in all, easyJet offers 1.5 million seats (capacity) in Alicante this summer season, an increase of around 10% compared to the same season in 2023.
Javier Gándara, easyJet’s country director for Southern Europe, said: “With more than 30 million passengers carried since 1999, Alicante was one of the most popular destinations in our network that did not yet have a base, until now. Opening our fourth base in Spain in Alicante confirms our commitment to this region and is an opportunity to further expand and consolidate our operations in the country.”
“The seasonal base model allows us to perfectly adapt to the needs of the market, boosting existing flows and giving us the opportunity to explore underserved markets in the future that would have previously been inaccessible. Today we are particularly excited to be here in Alicante, to celebrate the beginning of our operations from the new base and to introduce easyJet, its business models and its values to the local community.”
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