Wizz Air’s announcement in Valencia has not gone unnoticed in Alicante. The Hungarian airline will open its first bases in Spain in November at Manises Airport and Madrid-Barajas Airport, with new routes and an unprecedented focus on domestic flights. And, as soon as the news broke, those working at Alicante-Elche Miguel Hernández Airport began asking: could Alicante be Wizz Air’s next Spanish base?
The Alicante airport’s account on X (formerly Twitter) has shared a map with 26 Wizz Air network routes with potential for Alicante-Elche, in a context of strong international growth and increasingly intense competition between low-cost airlines.
Valencia takes the lead with seven new routes Wizz Air announced this morning the opening of two operational bases in Madrid and Valencia next November, an expansion that will allow it to increase its capacity, expand its network of destinations and generate more than 160 direct jobs.
From its first Spanish base in Valencia, it plans to reach 3.6 million seats and activate seven new connections starting 2 November, in addition to improvements in frequencies and schedules.
The airline will deploy two state-of-the-art Airbus A321neo aircraft and operate a total of 23 routes to eight countries.
The new routes announced from Valencia include Asturias, with five weekly flights; Brașov, in Romania, with three frequencies; Bilbao, with a daily flight; Naples, also daily; Palma, with a daily flight; Santander, with two weekly frequencies; and Santiago de Compostela, with four flights a week.
The decision represents a significant move for Spanish aviation because it confirms Wizz Air’s entry into the domestic market, a field traditionally dominated by companies such as Ryanair, Vueling, Iberia Express, Volotea, and Air Europa.
With these additions, Wizz Air continues to strengthen its commitment to the Spanish market. The airline currently operates in 16 airports across the country, with a network of 151 routes to 15 countries, but until now had not established a permanent base, and has carried more than 15 million passengers in Spain during its 22 years of operation.
The expansion is part of the company’s growth plan, which aims to continue increasing its offering with a fleet based on Airbus A321neo aircraft, a model that reduces fuel consumption and emissions compared to previous generations, focusing on efficiency and sustainability.
During the presentation, Wizz Air CEO József Váradi stated that the company is “delighted” to open its first bases in Spain, a decision which, he explained, reflects the airline’s commitment to the Spanish market and its intention to continue growing in the country with new routes, greater capacity and more job opportunities.
Alicante, a possible base If the airline has decided to invest in Spain with its own base and domestic flights from Valencia, Alicante appears as a logical candidate due to its tourist volume, its international profile and its position in the Mediterranean.
The map released by the Alicante airport account shows possible connections to Spanish, European and Eastern European destinations, including Asturias, Bilbao, Santander, Santiago de Compostela, Palma de Mallorca, Malaga, Dortmund, Maastricht, Verona, Naples, Palermo, Prague, Krakow, Warsaw-Modlin, Wroclaw, Lublin, Vilnius, Tallinn, Timisoara, Iași, Chisinau, Sofia, Podgorica, Tirana, Skopje, Kutaisi and Yerevan.
These are routes with potential within Wizz Air’s growth plan. The company itself keeps its route map updated as a tool for consulting its network of destinations.
An airport with international muscle Alicante’s appeal is best understood by considering the size and profile of its airport. Alicante-Elche is one of Spain’s major tourist airports and maintains an extensive network of international connections. Aena highlights on its destinations page the variety of airlines and routes available from the Alicante terminal, including low-cost carriers and high-demand European flights.
Wizz Air already operates in Alicante and in recent years has been involved in growth initiatives linked to Alicante Airport. These include the connection to Milan-Malpensa for the 2025-2026 winter season, an example of how the company has been strengthening its presence on the Costa Blanca.
National routes, the big change The most striking aspect of the Valencia announcement isn’t just the base itself, but Wizz Air’s entry into domestic flights within Spain. For Alicante, this detail opens up an interesting debate: a Wizz Air base could strengthen both international connections and domestic links with cities currently attractive to the Alicante market.
The map of potential routes includes several Spanish destinations: Asturias, Bilbao, Santander, Santiago de Compostela, Palma de Mallorca, and Málaga. Some connect with leisure and family visit markets; others could make sense for tourism, city breaks, or resident traffic.
Direct competition with Ryanair, easyJet and Vueling A potential Wizz Air base in Alicante would increase competitive pressure at one of the country’s most hotly contested airports. Ryanair, easyJet, Vueling, and other airlines already have a significant presence at the Alicante terminal, and any growth by Wizz Air would force a review of prices, flight frequencies, and destinations.
The Hungarian airline has built much of its European expansion on connections with Central, Eastern, and Balkan Europe—precisely the areas that also appear on the map released from Alicante. Destinations such as Tirana, Skopje, Sofia, Krakow, Warsaw-Modlin, Vilnius, Tallinn, Kutaisi, and Yerevan fit that profile.
For Alicante-Elche, a Wizz Air base would mean more based aircraft, more routes, more frequencies, and greater capacity to compete in emerging markets. But that decision will depend on the airline’s strategy, costs, aircraft availability, projected demand, and competition on each route.
Alicante wants to be in the picture The message behind this move is clear: Valencia has taken the lead, but Alicante doesn’t want to be left out of Wizz Air’s next phase of expansion in Spain. The Alicante terminal has a market, a tourism brand, international traffic, and a well-established European network.
The Manises announcement opens a door. The question now is whether Alicante-Elche will ultimately be included in Wizz Air’s plans as their next major investment in the Mediterranean.
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