From Hellín, Tobarra, Almansa and Caudete: which airport suits between Alicante-Elche, Región de Murcia and Valencia, and how to get there in time for the flight
It depends on the area more than on the flight. From Hellín and Tobarra, Región de Murcia airport, at Corvera, is 110 km along the A-30, about 80 min, but it has few, very seasonal destinations; Alicante-Elche, 150 km away, offers many more and usually wins when the flight exists at both. From Almansa and Caudete, Alicante is 104 km along the A-31 and Valencia-Manises 126 km along the A-35, two options that leave Barajas, 335 km away, for flights that only leave from Madrid. No train or bus from these areas reaches a terminal, so for early flights the transfer with a driver, from 197,50 € Hellín to Alicante, is what gets you to the departures door in time for boarding.
Written by Ridelta - Taxi y VTC · reviewed on 27 October 2026
Why do the south and east of the province not fly from Barajas?
Hellín, Tobarra, Almansa and Caudete sit on the edges of the province that face the Mediterranean, and geography decides for them. From Hellín, Barajas means driving up the A-30 to Albacete and on along the A-31 and A-3 until you skirt Madrid, 326 km, one of the longest trips in the province; Región de Murcia airport is on the same A-30 but southbound, at less than half the distance. From Almansa, Barajas is 335 km and Alicante or Valencia less than half, with direct motorway in both cases. Madrid only makes sense when the flight does not exist on the coast: intercontinental services and a few connections that neither Alicante nor Valencia offers.
The second reason is the clock. A seven o'clock European flight asks you to be in the terminal at five, and from Almansa that means leaving home at four for Alicante or at two for Barajas; from Hellín, the difference between Corvera and Madrid at that hour is the difference between sleeping at home or not sleeping. As the province page advises, the flight is chosen with the road trip in mind and not only the ticket price: a slightly cheaper ticket from Madrid is lost on the drive, on the sleepless night and, for a family, on the more expensive car that going so far entails.
From Hellín and Tobarra: Región de Murcia or Alicante-Elche?
Región de Murcia International Airport is at Corvera, south of Murcia city, and from Hellín you reach it on the A-30 down through Cieza and round the Murcian capital: 110 km and about 80 min, with a "from" fare of 149,03 € for the car. It is the handiest airport for the Campos de Hellín and the Sierra del Segura, but its offer is small and seasonal, aimed mainly at the UK and Ireland in the season months, so the first check is whether the flight you want leaves from there that day.
When it does not, or when the destination is Spanish or elsewhere in Europe, Hellín's airport becomes Alicante-Elche, at El Altet: 150 km and about 122 min, from 197,50 €. The way does not go through Albacete: you cross inland Murcia or join the A-31 near Villena, and the route engine picks the line according to the hour. Tobarra, a few kilometres north on the same A-30, does the same sum with a little more road towards Murcia and a little less towards Albacete. Valencia, 204 km from Hellín, is kept for very specific flights.
From Almansa and Caudete: Alicante or Valencia?
Almansa stands at the junction where the A-31 carries on to Alicante and the A-35 opens towards Valencia, so it has both airports at similar distances. To Alicante-Elche you go down the A-31 past Villena and Elda and turn off for El Altet before entering Alicante: 104 km and about 91 min, from 147,24 €. To Valencia-Manises you take the A-35 to Xàtiva, the A-7 and the A-3, leaving the city to one side: 126 km and about 87 min, from 166,35 €. With both so close, the choice is made by the flight's destination and its hour, not by the road.
Caudete, right next to Villena, joins the A-31 in a few minutes and has Alicante even closer than Almansa does; for Valencia it goes up to Almansa and takes the A-35. Alicante-Elche is the airport with most destinations of the three and the one where the low-cost carriers to the rest of Europe concentrate; Valencia has fewer flights to some northern European destinations but better links to Italy and the Mediterranean, and it is the only one of the three terminals the metro reaches from the city. One piece of advice for both areas: when the same destination is flown from Alicante and from Valencia, compare departure times, because the one that lets you leave home at a reasonable hour usually beats the slightly cheaper ticket.
Which train and bus really exist, and why do they not reach the terminal?
Almansa has an Adif station with Media Distancia and Regional Express services to València Estació del Nord, Alicante Terminal, Albacete and Ciudad Real; Caudete is on the same line, but some of those trains only call there on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, as Adif's own board warns. Hellín has a station on the conventional line towards Murcia and Cartagena, with few services. None of those trains enters an airport: at Alicante you get off in the city and continue by urban bus to El Altet, at Valencia you take the metro from the station, and Región de Murcia airport has no train at all. The first trains of the morning, moreover, leave when you would already need to be checking in for a seven o'clock flight.
The same happens with the bus: the interurban lines from Hellín, Almansa or Caudete reach the bus stations of Murcia, Alicante or Valencia, never the terminal, and you have to add the urban connection, the waiting time between one and the other and a margin in case the first one is late. For a lone traveller with no hurry and a mid-afternoon flight, the combination can work and is cheap. For two people with suitcases, for a family or for any flight leaving before nine in the morning, the sum of changes and the hour of the first service mean public transport is not a real option, which is why in these areas the transfer with a driver is the usual way to the airport.
How do you book the pre-dawn outbound leg and the arrivals pickup on the way back?
The outbound leg is booked with the pickup address, the airport, the flight number and the departure time, and the price is fixed before confirming; each route has its page with the "from" fare and the calculator gives the exact figure. The pickup time is counted backwards from boarding: the time the airline asks for in the terminal, the engine's minutes for the drive and a margin for the Elche approach or the A-3 in summer. If that comes to half past three in the morning in Hellín or four in Caudete, the car is at the door at that hour. At Easter, in July, August and Christmas, cars across the province are booked as soon as the ticket is in hand.
The return is booked with the arriving flight's number and the driver waits in the arrivals hall with a board bearing the passenger's name; if the flight is late, he follows it and adjusts the pickup without anyone having to call from the plane. Exactly how it works, with what margin after landing and what happens if there is a terminal change, is explained on the airport pickup page. Booking both legs at once avoids the worst situation of a trip: landing at Corvera or El Altet at night, with two weeks' luggage, and discovering that at that hour nothing goes up to Hellín or Almansa.
Frequently asked questions
Which airport is nearest to Hellín?
Región de Murcia, at Corvera, 110 km along the A-30 and about 80 min; but it has few, seasonal destinations. Alicante-Elche, 150 km away, offers many more.
From Almansa, is Alicante or Valencia better?
They are at similar distances: Alicante 104 km along the A-31 and Valencia 126 km along the A-35. The flight's destination and departure time decide, not the road.
How much is the transfer from Hellín to Alicante airport?
The published "from" fare is 197,50 € for the whole car; to Región de Murcia airport, from 149,03 €. The calculator gives the exact price with address, date and time.
Is there a train from Almansa or Caudete to Alicante airport?
As far as Alicante Terminal, yes, with Media Distancia from Almansa and stops at Caudete that some trains only make on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. No train reaches the airport: you continue by urban bus from the city.
Will you meet me in arrivals even if the flight is late?
Yes. With the flight number the driver follows the arrival and waits in the arrivals hall with a board bearing your name; the pickup adjusts to the delay without you having to call.
Sources
- Aena · aeropuerto de Alicante-Elche Miguel Hernández: cómo llegar en coche, autobús y tren (consulted on 27 October 2026)
- Aena · aeropuerto de Valencia: cómo llegar, metro y accesos (consulted on 27 October 2026)
- Aeropuerto Internacional Región de Murcia · cómo llegar y destinos (consulted on 27 October 2026)
- Adif · estación de Almansa: llegadas y salidas de Media Distancia y Regional Express, paradas en Caudete (consulted on 27 October 2026)
How we write, where the figures come from and how we correct an error: editorial policy.
Flight, train and bus destinations and timetables belong to their operators and change by season; check them before booking. Distances and times are those of the route engine in daytime with no incidents; the exact price comes from the calculator with date and time.