Alicante-Elche Miguel Hernández Airport (ALC) is the main air gateway to the Costa Blanca and welcomes nearly 20 million passengers every year.
Book your rental car in advance for a lower price, or choose a private transfer if you don't want to drive.
Four practical options for leaving the airport or arranging your arrival on the Costa Blanca. Compare and book online at the best rates.
Compare Goldcar, Centauro, Record Go, Sixt, Europcar and more than 20 agencies directly at the terminal. No deposit, free cancellation, from €12/day.
See offers →Fixed price to the city centre, a driver waiting for you at the exit with a name board. Rates from €43 to Alicante, from €88 to Benidorm.
Rates and booking →Official Aena car parks (Express, Preferential, Long stay) and private car parks less than a kilometre away with a free shuttle. From €4/day.
Compare car parks →The C6 line connects the airport to central Alicante every 20 minutes for €4. ALSA serves Benidorm, Murcia, Valencia and Torrevieja.
Timetables and prices →Check the live flight board. Status, any delays, flight number and airline are updated automatically.
Data is provided for guidance only. In case of delay or cancellation, check your airline's website. For the full detail: arrivals board · departures board.
Located in the municipality of Elche, between the districts of El Altet and Torrellano, Alicante-Elche Airport is the fifth busiest facility in the Spanish network, behind Madrid-Barajas, Barcelona-El Prat, Palma de Mallorca and Málaga. It is the main air gateway to the Costa Blanca and serves a 420-kilometre stretch of coastline, from Dénia to Mazarrón.
Opened to traffic on 4 May 1967, the airport has gone through several expansion phases. The most significant was the inauguration, on 23 March 2011, of the Nueva Área Terminal (NAT): a single terminal with a total area of 333,500 m², able to handle up to 20 million passengers a year. In 2021, the name of the poet Miguel Hernández, born in Orihuela, was added to the official name to mark the 110th anniversary of his birth.
In 2024, the airport passed a historic milestone with nearly 20 million passengers and more than 126,000 flight operations, up 8.5% on the previous year. Its catchment area covers the provinces of Alicante and Murcia, serving the resorts of Benidorm, Altea, Calpe, Jávea, Dénia, Torrevieja and La Manga del Mar Menor.
Around 80% of passengers are international. The UK, Germany, the Netherlands and Norway supply the largest contingents, driven by bases of the major low-cost carriers. Ryanair, easyJet, Jet2.com, Vueling, Norwegian, Wizz Air, TUI fly and Transavia account for most of the traffic, supplemented by Iberia, Air Europa and Lufthansa on the long-established routes.
The airport is connected to central Alicante by the N-338 national road. Four main modes of transport are available 24/7: city bus, official taxi, pre-booked private transfer and car rental. The choice depends on the number of travellers, luggage and final destination.
| Mode | Duration | Price | Frequency |
|---|---|---|---|
| C6 bus to central Alicante |
25 min | €4.00 | every 20 min |
| Official taxi rank in front of the terminal |
15-20 min | €20-28 | immediate |
| Private transfer driver with name board |
15-20 min | from €43 | by booking |
| Car rental pick-up at the terminal |
20 min + pick-up | from €12/day | 24/7 |
| ALSA bus to Benidorm, Murcia, Valencia |
45-120 min | €10-22 | every hour |
For a self-driven stay of several days on the Costa Blanca, renting a car at Alicante Airport generally remains the most economical solution. For a direct transfer to your hotel in Benidorm, Calpe or Torrevieja, a fixed-price taxi offers the best balance of speed and reliability.
Alicante Airport has a single terminal (NAT), arranged over two main levels. The ground floor houses arrivals, the baggage claim area and information desks. The first floor is dedicated to departures, with 96 check-in desks, 26 boarding gates and 12 food outlets.
For a domestic flight, it is recommended to arrive 1h30 to 2h before departure. For an international flight, allow 2h to 3h depending on the season. Online check-in can save up to 30 minutes. Security screening follows European standards: liquids limited to 100 ml per container, electronic devices removed from cabin baggage.
Two practical services to plan your trip before and after your flight: parking near the terminal or staying overnight ahead of an early morning flight.
Aena offers three official car parks: Express (drop-off, 10 minutes free), Preferential (opposite the terminal) and Long stay (with free shuttle). Numerous low-cost private car parks are located less than 2 km away, with a free shuttle every 15 minutes. Average rates: €4-8/day for private long stay, €14-20/day for Aena car parks.
See all car parksFor an early morning flight or a late arrival, several hotels are located less than 10 minutes from the terminal: Holiday Inn Alicante-Playa de San Juan, Hotel Maya Alicante, Eurostars Centrum Alicante. Most offer an airport shuttle or long-stay parking included. Average rates: €65-120 per night depending on the season.
Coming soonAlicante-Elche Airport is accessible by road only. No train or tram line serves the terminal, although a project to connect it to the TRAM Metropolitano and the Cercanías Murcia-Alicante line is planned for the coming years.
Address: Av. de l'Altet, s/n, 03195 Elche (Spain). GPS coordinates: 38.2822° N, 0.5580° W. Passenger information service: +34 913 21 10 00, available 24/7. For passengers with reduced mobility, the Sin Barreras service can be contacted via WhatsApp from the official Aena website.
The terminal is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Check-in desks generally open 2h30 before each departure and close 30 to 45 minutes before take-off depending on the airline. Shops and restaurants mainly operate from 5:30am to 10:00pm, with a few outlets open around the clock.
There is only one international airport in the province of Alicante: Alicante-Elche Miguel Hernández Airport, IATA code ALC. It serves the whole of the Costa Blanca and part of the Murcia region.
It is recommended to arrive 2 hours before a domestic flight and 3 hours before an international flight. In summer or during busy weekends, allow an extra 30 minutes.
The airport is 9 kilometres south-west of central Alicante and 10 kilometres east of Elche. The journey takes 15 to 25 minutes depending on the mode of transport.
The airport has a single terminal, the Nueva Área Terminal (NAT), inaugurated in 2011. The former T-1 and T-2 terminals have not been in service since that date.
Yes, more than 20 agencies have desks in the arrivals area: Goldcar, Centauro, Record Go, Sixt, Europcar, OK Mobility, Enterprise, Hertz, Avis, Budget and others. Booking online can save 30 to 40%.