Ultimately, the worst forecasts proved unfounded, and Alicante–Elche Miguel Hernández Airport was able to close the Christmas season without incidents. After two days of delays tied to the cold snap sweeping across Great Britain, the airfield logged only minor delays of about 15 to 20 minutes on a few Liverpool and Manchester connections, while more than 200 flights managed to depart and arrive on schedule. With this outcome, the Miguel Hernández airport can finish the season with well over a thousand movements during the holidays, reinforcing the 2024 passenger record for the year.
Forecasts yesterday warned residents and visitors across central and northern England about winter weather, as snow and heavy rain forced Manchester Airport to suspend operations last Sunday. As the storm eased, operations resumed but with notable disruptions and knock‑on effects across parts of European airspace, with bad conditions also affecting Germany. Consequently, on Monday delays were widespread, impacting the bulk of flights from Britain and also those from central Europe, with hubs such as Frankfurt and Warsaw feeling the impact.
With the record already secured, Alicante–Elche Airport has entered the holiday period with notable intensity. For the Christmas campaign, the El Altet runways were scheduled for 5,402 operations, a 33 percent increase over the previous year, confirming a sustained rise in passenger numbers. The figures anticipated increases in the range of 17 to 20 percent in the number of operations compared with the 2023 holiday period.
The largest crowds arrived on Saturdays. Specifically, the Alicante airport managed as many as 330 operations on days such as Saturday January 4 or Saturday December 28. In none of 2023 did daily movements exceed 300. The day with the most flights in 2023 was Saturday December 23, when 285 movements were recorded.