Five million people from UK to spend festive period abroad

Friday will be the busiest day for departures, while Christmas Day will be the quietest.

Around five million UK holidaymakers are expected to take a foreign trip over the Christmas and New Year period (Steve Parsons/PA) (PA Archive)

Around five million UK holidaymakers are expected to take a foreign trip over the Christmas and New Year period.

Travel trade organisation Abta, which produced the estimate, said Friday will be the busiest day for departures, while Christmas Day will be the quietest.

Its members are reporting strong demand for the Canary Islands, southern Spain, Turkey, Portugal and Egypt.

Christmas and New Year are always very busy times for travel and this year will be very special

Mark Tanzer, Abta

Millions of people will be jetting off for the festive period from major airports.

Heathrow expects more than three million passengers will travel through the airport in the last two weeks of December.

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.

“Abta members are delighted to enable people to fulfil their dreams of travel over Christmas.

There are fears strikes by Border Force workers every day from Friday until the end of the year except December 27 could cause disruption.

Members of the Public and Commercial Services union (PCS) who work for Border Force at Heathrow, Gatwick, Manchester, Birmingham, Cardiff and Glasgow airports will walk out.

British Airways and Virgin Atlantic have reportedly stopped selling new tickets for flights arriving at Heathrow on Border Force strike days.