Wetherspoon‘s has made its first move outside the UK and Ireland with the opening of its first pub in Spain, choosing Alicante-Elche Airport as the launch site. The venue, called Castell de Santa Bàrbera, is located in the departures area, giving it direct access to a constant flow of leisure and business travellers heading to and from the Costa Blanca.
Rather than opening on a traditional high street, Wetherspoon’s has gone straight for a high-footfall travel hub, where speed, consistency and brand recognition matter just as much as price. The new site is perfectly placed for a steady stream of holidaymakers, commuters and business travellers looking for a proper bite (and maybe a pint) before take-off.
The pub follows the core Wetherspoon’s format: well-known breakfast offer, classic pub meals and a range of draught beers, but it also includes a few Spanish-influenced dishes to reflect its setting. That balance allows the brand to stay familiar to UK customers while still feeling relevant to an international audience. From a commercial perspective, the airport location reduces reliance on local trade and seasonal patterns, while testing how the business performs in a controlled, premium-rent environment.
For Wetherspoon, this opening is less about a single site and more about proving the model overseas. The company has been clear that airports and international locations are now part of its longer-term thinking. If Alicante performs well, it opens the door to similar opportunities in other European travel hubs. For operators and suppliers watching the space, it’s a clear signal that one of the UK’s biggest pub brands is starting to look beyond its traditional estate and into a more globally focused growth strategy.
Read more news here…