diff --git a/grails-app/services/grails/plugins/elasticsearch/ElasticSearchAdminService.groovy b/grails-app/services/grails/plugins/elasticsearch/ElasticSearchAdminService.groovy
index 02da9102..34e9c050 100644
--- a/grails-app/services/grails/plugins/elasticsearch/ElasticSearchAdminService.groovy
+++ b/grails-app/services/grails/plugins/elasticsearch/ElasticSearchAdminService.groovy
@@ -316,13 +316,15 @@ class ElasticSearchAdminService {
         LOG.debug "Creating alias ${alias}, pointing to index ${index} ..."
         String oldIndex = indexPointedBy(alias)
         elasticSearchHelper.withElasticSearch { RestHighLevelClient client ->
+            IndicesAliasesRequest request = new IndicesAliasesRequest()
             if (oldIndex && oldIndex != index) {
                 LOG.debug "Index used to point to ${oldIndex}, removing ..."
-                new IndicesAliasesRequest.AliasActions(IndicesAliasesRequest.AliasActions.Type.REMOVE)
-                        .index(oldIndex)
-                        .alias(alias)
+                IndicesAliasesRequest.AliasActions removeAliasAction = new IndicesAliasesRequest.AliasActions(IndicesAliasesRequest.AliasActions.Type.REMOVE)
+                    .index(oldIndex)
+                    .alias(alias)
+                request.addAliasAction(removeAliasAction)
             }
-            IndicesAliasesRequest request = new IndicesAliasesRequest()
+
             IndicesAliasesRequest.AliasActions aliasAction =
                     new IndicesAliasesRequest.AliasActions(IndicesAliasesRequest.AliasActions.Type.ADD)
                             .index(index)