El Altet Airport Doubling in Size - Direct Flight Destination List

One of the reasons I chose Alicante as my home was that it had an international airport. Now it's growing, and officials say they will try to attract more direct flights with a focus on northern Europe. Although I'd like to see more flights to around the Mediterranean as well, like to Athens, Rome, Beirut or Cairo for example, I say god dag (good day) to Scandinavia as well.

In July and August, temperatures become tepid in Alicante as a result of the weather pattern of dry winds that come from the Sahara, known as Levante. At the same time, Mediterranean residents and Northern Europeans swap environs, the northerners sun-starved and the southerners sun-baked. The month to six weeks of standard European vacation leave fuels this exchange, and let me tell you - Scandinavia, at least, is absolutely beautiful in the summer and I'm sure that nothern continental Europe is as well after all the rain they recieved up to that point in the year!

It is sunny, people are in a good mood and smile more frequently, and the nature is remarkably clean and fresh. Then the busload of middle-aged Spanish tourists pulls up, the people scramble out and they all light up cigarettes while marveling in the cleanliness and orderliness of their destination, debating the merits of rules versus no rules and the overly complex politics of the bus ride. Or so I imagine.

Back in Alicante at the El Altet airport, hoards of pale tourists are arriving and congregating with their cigarettes outside the airport. Finally, cheap cigarettes and cheap booze for all, and the sun to boot! It's party time, and no rules apply. Well, the only rule that really applies is that the city shuts down because the Spanish are up north, and only the businesses that sell to tourists are open, namely the tobacconists, liquor stores, the shopping malls and the "hiper mercados" or gigantic grocery stores.

It's funny, an outdoor market is called a mercadillo, like a little market, a mercado, or market, decribes a central place where people go as much to socialize as to collect an abundant selection of food for the next few days. A super, is a supermarket or grocery store, and then a hiper, literally hyper, describes the dubious benefit of having one store that sells a selection of many things but nothing fresh like at the smaller markets. But that's fine for the northerners - that's what they came for, the beach, the sun, the booze, and the food - and the food at the hipers is still fresher than that of the north where much that is available is imported. And one euro bottles of local wine? Sure!

So along with the airport expansion, we will see more barbaric northern europeans, but along with them we as Alicantinos get a better selection of direct flights. The latest is Pisa, Italy. I can't wait to see as more destinations and frequencies are added. The following is a partial list of existing nonstop destinations from El Altet by country then airport:

Airport Code/City or Airport/Country/Carrier

Algeria
ORN/Oran - Es Senia/Algeria/Air Algerie

Austria
LNZ/Linz/Austria/Air Berlin
SZG/Salzburg/Austria/Air Berlin
VIE/Vienna/Austria/Air Berlin

Denmark
CPH/Copenhagen/Denmark/Air Berlin

England
BHX/Birmingham/England/Thomson
BLK/Blackpool/England/Thomson
BOH/Bournemouth/England/Thomson
BRS/Bristol/England/EasyJet
CWL/Cardiff/England/Thomson
CVT/Coventry/England/Thomson
DSA/Doncaster - Sheffield/England/Thomson
MME/Durham Tees Valley/England/Thomson
EMA/East Midlands/England/EasyJet,Thomson
HUY/Humberside/England/Thomson
LBA/Leeds Bradford/England/Thomson
LPL/Liverpool - John Lennon/England/Thomson, EasyJet,Ryan Air
LGW/London - Gatwick/England/Thomson, EasyJet
LTN/London - Luton/England/Thomson
STN/London - Stansted/England/Air Berlin, Ryan Air, EasyJet
MAN/Manchester/England/Thomson
NCL/Newcastle/England/EasyJet, Thomson

Finland
HEL/Helsinki/Finland/Air Finland

France
ORY/Paris/France/Air Europa

Germany
SXF/Berlin - Schönefeld/Germany/Air Berlin
TXL/Berlin - Tegel/Germany/Air Berlin
BRE/Bremen/Germany/Air Berlin
CGN/Cologne, Bonn/Germany/Air Berlin
DTM/Dortmund/Germany/EasyJet, Air Berlin
DRS/Dresden/Germany/Air Berlin
NRN/Dusseldorf/Germany/Ryan Air, Air Berlin
ERF/Etfurt/Germany/Air Berlin
FRA/Frankfurt/Germany/Air Berlin
HAM/Hamburg/Germany/Air Berlin
HAJ/Hanover/Germany/Air Berlin
LEJ/Leipzig, Halle/Germany/Air Berlin
MUC/Munich/Germany/Air Berlin
FMO/Münster Osnabrück/Germany/Air Berlin
NRW/North Rhine Westfalia/Germany/Air Berlin
NUE/Nuremberg/Germany/Air Berlin
PAD/Paderborn Lippstadt/Germany/Air Berlin
RLG/Rostock Laage/Germany/Air Berlin
STR/Stuttgart/Germany/Air Berlin

Holland
AMS/Amsterdam/Holland/Air Berlin, Transavia
EIN/Eindhoven/Holland/Transavia
RTM/Rotterdam/Holland/Transavia

Northern Ireland
BFS/Belfast/Northern Ireland/EasyJet

Ireland
DUB/Dublin/Ireland/Ryan Air

Italy
BGY/Milan - Bergamo/Italy/Air Berlin
PSA/Pisa/Italy/Ryan Air

Norway
BGO/Bergen/Norway/Norwegian, SAS, all Saturdays, 2 July - 10 Aug Mondays & Fridays
KRS/Kristiansand/Norway/SAS, Saturdays only
OSL/Oslo/Norway/Norwegian, SAS
SVG/Stavanger/Norway/Norwegian, SAS, all Sundays and 4 July - 8 Aug Wednesdays
TRD/Trondheim/Norway/Norwegian, 2 July - 10 Aug, Mondays and Fridays

Poland
WAW/Warsaw/Poland/Norwegian, Thursdays and Saturdays

Portugal
FAO/Faro/Portugal/Air Berlin
LIS/Lisbon/Portugal/Air Berlin
OPO/Oporto/Portugal/Air Berlin

Scotland
EDI/Edinburgh/Scotland/EasyJet
GLA/Glasgow/Scotland/EasyJet, Thomson

Spain
BCN/Barcelona/Spain/SAS, Iberia, Spanair
BIO/Bilbao/Spain/Air Berlin, Iberia
IBZ/Ibiza/Spain/Air Berlin
MAD/Madrid/Spain/SAS, Iberia, Spanair
MAH/Menorca - Mahon/Spain/Air Berlin
AGP/Malaga/Spain/Iberia
OVD/Asturias - Oviedo/Spain/Iberia
PMI/Palma de Mallorca/Spain/Air Berlin, Air Europa
SDR/Santander/Spain/Iberia
SCQ/Santiago de Compostela/Spain/Air Berlin
SVQ/Seville/Spain/Air Berlin, Iberia

Switzerland
BSL/Basel Mulhouse/Switzerland/EasyJet
GVA/Geneva/Switzerland/EasyJet
ZRH/Zurich/Switzerland/Air Berlin

As I find more connections and airlines I will update the list. For more information on Alicante's El Altet airport, click here: http://www.alicante-spain.com/alicante_airport.html