The Council demands that the Government of Spain "activate now" the second runway of Alicante-Elche airport and the expansion of Manises

• The minister says that "they are not worth a penny" and recalls that the Chambers of Commerce estimated the losses for not undertaking these works at 2,000 million
• He also claims the rail connection in Alicante "after years of investment and infrastructure deficit"
   

The Minister of Innovation, Industry, Commerce and Tourism, Marián Cano, has reiterated the "indispensable need" to start the project of the second runway of the Alicante-Elche airport, a work already planned within the expansion plan of the infrastructure, as well as "activating the expansion of the Manises terminal as soon as possible" after the record figures collected in the Valencian Community in 2024.

Cano has highlighted that this Monday "passenger data from Valencia and Alicante-Elche airports will be known precisely" and "the need to address more ambitious expansion projects for these two infrastructures, which are key in the development of the Valencian economy". "We are breaking records for passengers, tourists and spending, and we need a project that reflects and accommodates the expected growth for the next few years," he added.

Thus, he considered "insufficient" the public tender for the technical assistance of drafting the project for the expansion works of the airport of Ali-cante-Elche launched by Aena this Friday, with a budget of 20 million euros, and he claimed " a firm commitment to meet the needs of businessmen" after the studies of the Alicante and Valencian Chambers of Commerce which estimate the annual losses of delaying the works on the second runway at almost 2,000 million euros Alicante-Elche and the Manises terminal. 

The councilor recalled that "we cannot ignore the deficit in infrastructure that has been dragging the Community, nor that the province of Alicante has been the last in Spain in terms of investment per capita for several years now. And we're not going to settle for a patch when other projects are materializing, such as the expansion of the El Prat airport, with an investment of 1,700 million euros and the prospect of building a third runway". 

Likewise, he has urged the Government of Spain to put in place as early as possible "the railway connection of the airport of Alicante-Elche", a "historical grievance for the province and the Community, unique in all of Europe if we consider that it is the only infrastructure of its size that does not have this type of service for the more than 17 million passengers it receives each year".