Alicante–Elche Miguel Hernández Airport

ALC opened as El Artet airport on May 4th, 1967, with the first commercial flight by Aviaco utilizing the Convair Metropolitan. Regular connections to Madrid and Barcelona were established in November 1969. By 1970 the airport was serving over one million passengers annually, and the construction of a passenger terminal began. The first part of the terminal (operating international flights) opened in 1972, while the rest (serving domestic routes) opened in 1975. In 1978 the airport exceeded two million annual passengers served, and in 1980 the runway was extended to three kilometers. The terminal was modernized and expanded during the 1990s, which included the installation of five jet bridges (of the 11 departure gates). Moreover, a new air traffic control tower opened, along with operation and business centers. Furthermore, parking capacity was increased, the aircraft apron was expanded, and a new runway exit was built. In November 2004, plans for a new terminal (Terminal N) were approved, with construction beginning the following year. At the same time, plans were approved for the extension of the existing terminal as a temporary measure until the completion of the new terminal. As such, in January 2007, the extension opened as Terminal 2 (with six gates), with the original terminal renamed Terminal 1. Although the leading carrier at ALC had historically been Iberia, with the rise of low-cost carriers easyJet became the leading operator in 2004.
Furthermore, in June 2006, transatlantic service began via Avianca (flying a Boeing 767) to Bogotá, Colombia (this was a stop on the route from Barcelona to Bogotá-the stop was removed after two years as permission was granted to fly directly from Barcelona). Ryanair (Europe's largest low-cost airline) established a base at ALC in November 2007, growing to one of the leading carriers at ALC. Terminal N opened on March 23rd, 2011, with the first flight being a Ryanair flight to Memmingen. The new terminal replaced the two other terminals, as it has 40 gates, 96 check-in desks, and the capacity to serve 20 million passengers a year. As the airport is located within Elche's comarca, a petition was created to include the city's name in the title. Thus, on July 12th, 2013, the airport was officially renamed Aeropuerto de Alicante-Elche (from Aeropuerto de Alicante). The IATA airport code remained as it was. Traffic at ALC has consistently increased since 2000. In 2021 the airport was again renamed Aeropuerto de Alicante-Elche Miguel Hernández, marking the 110th anniversary of the birth of the Spanish poet and playwright.

The airport is located 5.6 miles west of the city of Alicante, and 6.2 miles east of the city of Elche. 

• One of the 50 busiest airports in Europe, the vast majority of passengers arrive from the United Kingdom, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Belgium, and Sweden, with up to 80% of all flights to international destinations. 
• Aena operates the airport.  
• The lounge at ALC is Sala VIP Costa Blanca, with food, snacks, drinks, WiFi, and more. 
• FBOs at ALC include United Aviation and Aviapartner Executive.