From the early hours of 2 March until 29 March, Alicante-Elche Miguel Hernández Airport will close its single runway daily between 00:00 and 05:59 for a €15.7 million resurfacing and taxiway-lighting project. Airport operator AENA says airlines have already re-timed affected flights, so disruption should be minimal. (euroweeklynews.com)
The works include laying conduit for a new parallel taxiway and renewing pavement and markings on existing shoulders. The investment is designed to increase airfield capacity ahead of a summer season in which Alicante expects to surpass its 2025 record of 18.6 million passengers. (euroweeklynews.com)
Travelers who need to adjust itineraries during the project should also make sure their paperwork is in order. VisaHQ’s online platform (https://www.visahq.com/spain/) streamlines visa and travel-document applications for Spain and dozens of other destinations, allowing passengers, crew and corporate travel teams to track requirements and turnaround times in real time—handy when flight schedules are already in flux.
![Alicante-Elche to shut runway overnight for month-long upgrade]()
Night-time runway closures are common in northern Europe, but less so in Spain’s Mediterranean airports, where low-cost carriers operate dense late-night schedules. Travel-management companies with crew changeovers or cargo charters should re-check slots and ground-handling availabilities during the maintenance window.
Hotels and car-rental firms have welcomed the proactive notice, noting that most inbound leisure traffic lands during daytime waves. However, the closure does remove a diversion option for medical and technical emergencies at nearby Murcia and Valencia during the six-hour window—a factor insurers and assistance providers will build into contingency planning.
More broadly, the upgrade is part of AENA’s pitch to counter airline criticism of proposed fee increases. Carriers argue that sustained infrastructure investment can be funded even with lower passenger charges and are lobbying regulators for a 4.9 % cut from 2027 onward. The Alicante works give the airport operator a tangible example of spend-before-charge strategy.
The works include laying conduit for a new parallel taxiway and renewing pavement and markings on existing shoulders. The investment is designed to increase airfield capacity ahead of a summer season in which Alicante expects to surpass its 2025 record of 18.6 million passengers. (euroweeklynews.com)
Travelers who need to adjust itineraries during the project should also make sure their paperwork is in order. VisaHQ’s online platform (https://www.visahq.com/spain/) streamlines visa and travel-document applications for Spain and dozens of other destinations, allowing passengers, crew and corporate travel teams to track requirements and turnaround times in real time—handy when flight schedules are already in flux.
Night-time runway closures are common in northern Europe, but less so in Spain’s Mediterranean airports, where low-cost carriers operate dense late-night schedules. Travel-management companies with crew changeovers or cargo charters should re-check slots and ground-handling availabilities during the maintenance window.
Hotels and car-rental firms have welcomed the proactive notice, noting that most inbound leisure traffic lands during daytime waves. However, the closure does remove a diversion option for medical and technical emergencies at nearby Murcia and Valencia during the six-hour window—a factor insurers and assistance providers will build into contingency planning.
More broadly, the upgrade is part of AENA’s pitch to counter airline criticism of proposed fee increases. Carriers argue that sustained infrastructure investment can be funded even with lower passenger charges and are lobbying regulators for a 4.9 % cut from 2027 onward. The Alicante works give the airport operator a tangible example of spend-before-charge strategy.
