Airports set for Christmas getaway

the busiest days at UK airports this Christmas

[December 19th 2008]

Today and tomorrow are expected to be the busiest days at UK airports as an estimated three million people head off over the Christmas and New Year period for a well-earned holiday.

ABTA, the Association of British Travel Agents, says that the majority of people will be looking for a winter sun break, with the most popular destinations including Tenerife, Egypt, Turkey and the Caribbean. Inevitably many people will be heading off on skiing and snowboarding holidays too, with Geneva, the gateway to the Alps, the target destination.

"Holidays - especially at this time of year - are considered to be so much more than a luxury. They provide a valuable time to unwind and spend quality time with family," comments ABTA president, Justin Fleming.

December 19th and December 20th may be the busiest days at airports before Christmas, but ABTA says that airports will be even busier on Saturday December 27th.

The travel association says that on that date many people will be looking to take short New Year breaks to popular city break destinations such as Paris, Amsterdam, Madrid, Dublin, Athens and even as far afield as New York. Destinations outside the eurozone such as Budapest and Warsaw are also likely to be popular with the more adventurous.

Over the Christmas and New Year period more than two million people will leave the country from BAA airports. The busiest airport will be Heathrow with an anticipated 1.1 million people, followed by Gatwick with 500,000, Stansted 250,000, Glasgow 200,000, Edinburgh 105,000, Aberdeen 44,500 and Southampton 24,000.

From non-BAA airports, 290,000 are expected to fly out from Manchester airport, 250,000 from Luton airport and 28,000 from Leeds Bradford airport. The ferries and trains will also be busy with over 200,000 travelling away over or under the English Channel, and another 210,00 leaving on Eurostar.

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