Wetherspoons has announced plans to open its first pub outside of the UK and Ireland, coming in January to the departure lounge of Spain’s Alicante airport.
The locale will serve alcohol from 6am every day, bringing the age-old Spoons airport tradition to Spain for the very first time.
The pub chain has said that it doesn’t plan to stop at one overseas location, with more European footholds planned down the line, with an eye on other holiday locations popular with Brits like Mallorca.
READ MORE: New Wetherspoon pub set to open in south London next month
The Alicante location is named Castell de Santa Bàrbera, after a medieval fortress located on Alicante’s coastline.
It will bring the usual Wetherspoons fare, including the all-day breakfast, burgers, and pizzas, but combined with local dishes like garlic prawns and Spanish omelette.
The Spanish pub is set across a 1,000 square foot space in the airport, which is far smaller than some of its notoriously large and winding venues found in the UK.
Leaning into the warmer Spanish weather, however, there will also be an outside terrace space within the pub.
This comes after the chain has experienced some highs and lows in recent years, with sales slowing in the first 14 weeks of 2025, but still increasing revenues by 3.7% over the same period – although leadership maintained that price hikes would be limited despite the financial pressures.
READ MORE: Wetherspoon set to see sales and profit climb as it braces for Budget tax hit
“We are very much looking forward to opening our first overseas pub,” said Wetherspoons owner Tim Martin in a statement to the press, as reported by The Guardian. “We believe it will be popular with people travelling home from Alicante airport.
“We aim to open a number of pubs overseas in the coming months and years, including those at airports.”
The first Wetherspoons opened at an airport was at Heathrow Terminal 4 in 1992, but that number has grown rapidly over the years, with airport spots now at Gatwick, Stansted, Edinburgh, and Doncaster Sheffield as well.
