British pub chain JD Wetherspoon is opening its first location in continental Europe. The new pub, called Castell de Santa Barbera, will launch at Alicante-Elche Airport in Spain by the end of January, marking the start of the chain's international expansion.
The pub will be located in the airport's departures area, giving British holidaymakers a taste of home before their return flights. It will operate seven days a week from 6am to 9pm.
The menu will blend British pub classics with Spanish favourites. Customers can choose between English fry-ups and burgers or local dishes such as garlic prawns and Spanish omelette.
The new site will offer almost 1,000 square feet of customer space on one level, plus an external terrace with seating.
Expansion ambitions
Wetherspoon founder and chairman Sir Tim Martin said: «We are very much looking forward to opening our first overseas pub. We believe it will be popular with people travelling home from Alicante Airport.»
He confirmed this marks just the beginning. «We aim to open a number of pubs overseas in the coming months and years, including those at airports,» Martin said.
The Spanish pub forms part of broader expansion plans. The chain aims to open 30 new locations in its current financial year – 15 managed pubs and 15 franchises.
Four new Wetherspoons will open at Haven holiday parks across the UK by the end of spring. The chain is also launching six new branches in locations including Newcastle upon Tyne, Stockton-on-Tees and Wetherby.
Popular destination
Alicante-Elche Airport has become increasingly popular with British travelers. The airport recorded 18.3 million passengers in 2024 and serves as a gateway to Costa Blanca destinations like Benidorm.
Direct flights from Liverpool take under three hours.
Wetherspoon already operates nearly 800 pubs across the UK. Recent figures showed a 3.7% rise in like-for-like sales over the first 14 weeks of its financial year, to November 2.
Martin said the company remains «mindful of the Chancellor's Budget statement later this month and, as a result, is slightly more cautious in its outlook for the remainder of the year».
Note: This article was created with Artificial Intelligence (AI).
