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Valencian Community strengthens tourism leadership with record passenger numbers at Valencia and Alicante airports in 2025

 

Valencian Community / 14 January 2026

 

The Valencian Community has reinforced its position as one of Spain’s leading tourism destinations after Valencia-Manises and Alicante-Elche Miguel Hernández airports recorded their highest-ever passenger numbers in 2025, according to the latest data published by Aena.

 

The Minister of Industry, Tourism, Innovation and Trade, Marián Cano, welcomed the results, describing them as confirmation of “the excellent performance of tourism in the Valencian Community and its leading position among Spain’s main destinations”.

 

Both airports closed the year with record figures, consolidating a sustained growth trend.

 

• Alicante-Elche Miguel Hernández Airport handled 19,950,394 passengers, an 8.5% increase compared with 2024.
• Valencia-Manises Airport reached 11,847,527 passengers, representing a 9.6% year-on-year rise.

 

“These are the two highest growth rates among the ten busiest airports in Spain,” the minister noted.

 

December figures also reflected strong momentum. Alicante-Elche welcomed 1,318,828 passengers in December alone, an increase of 8.4% compared with the same month in 2024, while Valencia Airport recorded 893,420 passengers, marking a 12.4% increase year-on-year.

 

Marián Cano highlighted that the December data capped “an exceptional year”, with both airports surpassing their previous annual records before the end of the year, as early as November.

 

“This performance confirms that growth is not seasonal or temporary, but structural,” Cano said. “It reflects a clearly defined tourism model based on sustainability, market diversification, international promotion and strong public-private collaboration.”

 

The minister reaffirmed the Generalitat’s commitment to working closely with the tourism sector to ensure balanced growth that generates wealth, employment and opportunities across the region. He also underlined ongoing efforts to strengthen air connectivity across the Valencian Community’s three airports, particularly with medium- and long-haul markets.

 

“In fact, during FITUR 2026, meetings with several airlines are already scheduled to continue expanding our international connectivity,” Cano confirmed.

 

Urgent need for airport expansion

In light of the continued increase in passenger numbers, Marián Cano reiterated the urgent need to progress with planned airport expansion projects.

 

“The sustained growth in air traffic is exposing the current capacity limits of both Alicante and Valencia airports,” he said. “Delays in expanding and modernising these infrastructures represent an unnecessary constraint on the competitiveness of the Valencian Community.”

 

The regional government is therefore calling for the activation of the expansion project at Alicante-Elche Miguel Hernández Airport, already planned by Aena, as well as faster timelines for the expansion of Valencia-Manises Airport.

 

“These are strategic infrastructures for our economy and for the future of Valencian tourism,” Cano concluded. “We will continue to firmly demand that these actions are carried out as a matter of urgency.”