| Alicante started
the acquisition of the land which Alicante Airport is now located
in November 1964. Several months later construction work started
on the airport with a 2,700 metre runway, a taxiway, rapid exit
roads and the installation of an ILS system.
On 4 May 1967, Alicante airport opened to domestic and international
passenger and cargo traffic, while the old airprt at La Rabassa
airdrome closed. That same day the first plane, a Convair
Metropolitan of Aviaco, landed at the airport. Iberia airline
joined the airport's traffic in November 1969 with its Alicante-Madrid
and Alicante-Barcelona routes.
Alicante Airport's Rapid Growth
The growth in traffic was immediate, since all the tourists
heading for resorts along Alicante's coast, who until then
had to travel to Valencia Airport, changed to Alicante
Airport.
Alicante Airport Passengers reach 1 million
In 1970 the number of passengers at Alicante Airport reached
almost one million, which made it necessary to construct a
new passenger terminal, the first stage of which started in
June 1972. The new airport building was only used for international
flights. The second phase was finished in 1974, and domestic
traffic was incorporated in March 1975.
The sustained increase in Alicante airport traffic reached
two million by 1978, which meant that the passenger terminal
needed to be redesigned and the aircraft parking facilities
to be extended by sixty thousand metres squared. For operative
reasons, the runway at Alicante Aiport was extended by three
metres.
Airport refurbished at Alicante
In 1996 the refurbishment of Alicante Airport was completed.
The airport was now able to handle the nine million passengers
which would soon be using the facilities. A new office building
for airlines, an operations centre and a business area were
constructed. The capacity of the vehicle parking facilities
was also enlarged, a new rapid exit road was constructed towards
departure point 28 and the aeroplane apron was enlarged. |
