Busiest Christmas for Gatwick since the pandemic

Gatwick Airport anticipates Sunday will be its busiest day of the festive season

Gatwick Airport is expected to experience its busiest festive season since the pandemic, according to the UK Civil Aviation Authority.

The West Sussex airport is anticipating Sunday will be its busiest day, with 769 flights.

On Christmas Day it will be open and operating with an expected 228 flights.

Nick Williams, head of passenger operations, said Christmas was a "busy time" and staff were "working hard to deliver the best possible experience for passengers".

The most popular Christmas long-haul destinations this year from Gatwick are Dubai, Shanghai and Cancun, with Geneva, Barcelona and Milan the most popular short-haul.

Last December almost 11 million passengers jetted off from UK airports for the festive season, according to the UK CAA.

Gatwick was one of the busiest of those airports.

A total of 1,635,732 passengers travelled through it in December 2023.

A Gatwick spokesperson said its top tips for travelling over the festive period included:

• Plan your journey to the airport in advance

• Prepare for security as normal

• Arrive on time

• Mince pies, Christmas puddings and even frozen turkeys can all be taken in hand luggage

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