ARCHIVED - Alicante-Elche airport closed by fire in the terminal building

Dozens of flights cancelled or diverted to Murcia and Valencia on Wednesday and Thursday

Alicante-Elche will not re-open until at least 14.00 on Thursday

Air traffic at Alicante-Elche airport, the fifth busiest in Spain and the gateway to the Costa Blanca (and, for many, the Costa Cálida), was severely disrupted on Wednesday when a fire broke out in the terminal building, with numerous flights being cancelled or diverted to the airports of Murcia and Valencia after the terminal building was evacuated at approximately 14.30.

Nos encontramos trabajando en un incendio en la cubierta del Aeropuerto de Alicante.
Dos unidades nuestras y dos del @BombersAlacant junto a los bomberos de #aena #bomberos #speis #alicante #aena pic.twitter.com/uuh1tb4Kjn

— SPEIS Ayto. Alicante (@speis_alicante) January 15, 2020

With firefighters still busy at the scene on Thursday morning the latest news from Aena was that the airport in El Altet will remain closed until at least 14.00 on Thursday, and inevitably the cancellations and diversions will continue as a result although exact details are hard to ascertain. Obviously passengers are advised to check the status of their flights before travelling, and at the same time people are being urged not to travel to Alicante-Elche airport for outgoing flights until they are certain that their journeys will not be in vain.

Of the 125 arrivals and departures scheduled at Alicante-Elche on Wednesday 45 were diverted to the Region of Murcia International Airport in Corvera and the airport at Manises in Valencia, and 17 services were cancelled altogether. Passengers on 14 outgoing flights were transferred by coach to Valencia and Murcia to travel from there, and road travel to Alicante was also provided for passengers who unexpectedly found themselves landing in Corvera.

Taking into account both passengers and airport staff it is estimated that the fire affected a total of around 10,000 people.

It was originally anticipated that Alicante-Elche would reopen at midday on Thursday, but although the blaze is under control the presence of wood, asphalt sheeting and other elements has made the fire harder to extinguish completely. At present it is reported that over 1,200 square metres of the roof have been affected along with the VIP lounge, and despite the efforts of over 50 firefighting staff during the night that figure could yet increase.

The causes of the fire have not yet been established.

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