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Valencian Community strengthens tourism leadership with record January passenger numbers at Valencia and Alicante airports

 

Valencia Community / 13 February 2026

 

The Valencian Community has reinforced its position as one of Spain’s leading year-round destinations after both Valencia and Alicante airports recorded their best-ever January passenger figures.

 

According to data published by Aena, 1,106,689 passengers travelled through Alicante-Elche Miguel Hernández Airport in January, while Valencia Airport welcomed 756,281 passengers, marking record figures for the month at both airports.

 

The Regional Minister for Innovation, Industry, Trade and Tourism, Marián Cano, described the figures as confirmation of the “excellent momentum” currently being experienced by the tourism sector across the Valencian Community.

 

Strong year-on-year growth

Valencia Airport recorded a 7% increase in passenger numbers compared with January 2025 and handled 6,257 flights, up 3% year-on-year.

 

Alicante-Elche Miguel Hernández Airport registered a 4.7% increase in passengers compared with the same month last year and operated 7,521 flights, representing a 5.6% rise in aircraft movements.

Cano stated that the figures “reflect the strength of the Valencian tourism sector, the confidence of international markets and the positive impact of the promotion and diversification strategy we are implementing.”

 

She added that the sustained growth in January demonstrates progress towards a more balanced tourism model: “We are moving towards an increasingly year-round tourism structure, with activity and visitor arrivals beyond the traditional peak season.”

 

Call to accelerate airport expansion

The Minister also noted that 2025 concluded with record-breaking traffic at both airports and stressed the importance of accelerating expansion projects.

 

“These infrastructures are operating at very high capacity levels and must adapt to continued growth in demand,” she said, urging central government to speed up planned development works.

 

Cano underlined that both airports are “strategic infrastructures for the competitiveness of the Valencian Community, essential for tourism development, attracting investment, internationalising our companies and generating employment.”