Alex Trelinski
A NEW attempt to establish flights between the United States and Alicante-Elche airport will be made in December.
Valencia’s Tourist Minister, Nuria Montes, will travel to Florida to talk to American airlines and tour operators at their annual conference,
Discussions will centre around the feasibility of setting up a direct connection with New York.
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The Valencian government confirmed that the tourism ministry ‘continues to work to achieve direct connections with the United States’.
Montes also used this year’s record passenger numbers at Alicante-Elche to demand an expansion of facilities ‘as soon as possible.
In addition, she repeated a call for a second runway, which has so far been rejected.
Efforts to set up a US-Alicante air link are nothing new.
In January 2023, the Alicante Provincial Council stated that a new transatlantic route will be a ‘big tourism aim’ for that year.
The council’s head at the time and future Valencian president, Carlos Mazon, said that the Costa Blanca’s great potential market is the American tourist who ‘we want to attract with professionalism, work, and a lot of effort’.
In a speech at the Madrid tourism fair, Fitur, Mazon revealed the council was talking to tour operators, travel agencies and tourist associations plus airport operator Aena to establish a service.
Nothing so far has transpired in almost two years despite Nuria Montes stating 14 months ago that she was ‘sure’ the Valencian region could get a transatlantic link from ‘one or more its airports’.
She said her ministry was working to ensure that the new route will be operational in the summer of 2024 but to no avail.
Talks had taken place with Delta and other US carriers.
