Ryanair launches winter schedule at Alicante and Elche airport with four new routes and 3.3 million seats

Ryanair has unveiled its winter flight schedule for the Alicante-Elche Miguel Hernández airport, offering a total of 79 routes. The Irish low-cost carrier is introducing four new destinations, connecting the terminal in Elche with Catania and Venice in Italy, alongside Friedrichshafen and Saarbrücken in Germany.

Under the new schedule, the airline will operate five weekly flights to Catania, three to Venice Marco Polo, two to Friedrichshafen, and two to Saarbrücken. The link to Venice represents the continuation into the winter season of a service that operated throughout the summer.

Ryanair, which accounts for more than 40 per cent of all passenger traffic at the Alicante-Elche facility, has also boosted frequencies on 28 existing services. These enhanced schedules include routes to Lisbon, Rome, Kaunas, Pardubice, and Poznan. According to company sources, the extra flights aim to provide travellers across the Costa Blanca with greater choice and low fares throughout the winter months.

In total, the carrier will provide more than 3.3 million seats on flights to and from Alicante between late October and late March 2027. This programming brings a notable reinforcement to German and Italian markets, whilst also delivering a 58 per cent increase on Portuguese routes and substantial gains in emerging markets such as the Czech Republic, up 30 per cent, and Lithuania, up 31 per cent. Ryanair representatives described the overall schedule as stable when compared to the winter 2025 period.

The operation will be supported primarily by the 15 aircraft that the airline bases at the Miguel Hernández airport. According to Ryanair, this fleet represents an investment of 1.5 billion dollars and helps sustain more than 7,200 local jobs. The airline anticipates reaching 9.1 million annual passengers on its Alicante services during 2026, representing an 11 per cent year-on-year increase.

Alejandra Ruiz, spokesperson for Ryanair in Spain, stated that the company continues to lead air traffic across the Costa Blanca by providing residents and holidaymakers with affordable winter getaway options. To mark the announcement of the winter timetable, the airline launched a limited promotional sale with fares starting from 19.99 euro for bookings completed before Friday, 23 October.