A fire on one of the roofs of Alicante-Elche Airport destroyed the VIP lounge more than five years ago. Aena has now put out bids for the reconstruction of this larger area, with a starting budget of 7.1 million euros. The terminal only has temporary facilities for now, and first-class passengers will have to wait until 2027, which is when the project is expected to be finished, plus the costs of running the business.
So, the old Ifach club, which is now called the Costa Blanca, will reopen with a lot more space—almost 2,000 square metres—and more amenities. Aena’s biggest new feature is an outside terrace that is about 120 square metres and an indoor space that can hold 300 people. This is how the company changes the size of a terminal that serves about 20 million people each year.
The document’s description of the centre is based on the ideas of “elegance, exclusivity, functionality, and a strong local identity.” There will be different places in the hall for different services, like a catering area, a dining room, a wine cellar, a relaxation area, a conference room, a family area, individual workstations, restrooms, and showers, among other things.
The expansion will include building a new slab that is about 500 square meters in size and faces the north check-in hall. It will also include building a 119 square metre terrace on the west side of the terminal, which will face the sidewalk of the facade located on the corner of the building. The new VIP lounge will be 1,912.60 square meters in size and will be able to hold at least 300 people.
Shifts at night
The designs also show that a new staircase will be erected in the same place, but it will be longer and lead to the front of the building that faces the departure area. The new IFACH will be erected on a total area of 1,912.60 m², which includes the terrace. So, the entire area for passengers inside is 1,520.68 m². The remaining 273.23 m² is made up of the lounge and staff service sections, like the kitchen, storage rooms, offices, changing rooms, and so on.
It will be hard to build while thousands of people, including workers and travellers, are passing by every day. To make this combination easier, the project says that some of the planned actions, including the “work units that make noise, dust, and affect the airport’s operations,” will be done at night, in the periods shown in this project.
In summary, the area had to be completely rebuilt, which stopped all work for two days. After the emergency, Aena repaired the roof. The hall’s interior still has the compartments, panelling, and parts of the original fixtures. The “Costa Blanca VIP Lounge” is currently at Alicante airport. It was completed quickly in 2020 and has a floor area of 1,091 square metres and 253 seats.
Author: Derek Appleton
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