Airports are expected to be particularly busy this Friday as around five million Brits head abroad for Christmas.
Travel trade organisation Abta said that it expects 23 December to be the busiest date for plane travel over the festive period, while Christmas Day is set to be the quietest. Destinations including southern Spain, Portugal, Turkey, the Canary Islands and Egypt are in high demand this winter as holidaymakers jet off to warmer climes after a spell of freezing weather in the UK.
More than three million passengers are expected to travel through the UK's busiest airport Heathrow within the last two weeks of December, WalesOnline reports. This Christmas will mark the first in three years that many Brits have been able to fly abroad without strict Covid travel restrictions in place.
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Abta chief executive Mark Tanzer said: "Christmas and New Year are always very busy times for travel and this year will be very special as millions have the first opportunity after travel restrictions have lifted to spend quality time with friends and family abroad over the festive period."
However, there are fears that strikes by Border Force workers could cause travel disruption as staff walk out from Friday 23 December until the end of the year including Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Year's Eve, with the exception of 27 December. Around 1,000 workers intend to strike across eight days in action that will affect airports in Birmingham, Cardiff, Gatwick, Glasgow and Manchester as well as London's Heathrow.
These are not the only travel strikes that could thwart travel plans over the festive season. Many rail passengers have seen their journeys cancelled so far this month as unions take action in an ongoing dispute between workers and Network Rail over pay and working conditions, with further strike dates confirmed by the RMT over Christmas and in January.
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