Edinburgh Airport sees Christmas rush as Scots head abroad

More than 200,000 passengers will fly out from Edinburgh Airport before Christmas. Picture: Ian Georgeson

More than 4.5 million people will head abroad from the UK over Christmas, with 238,000 passengers departing from Edinburgh Airport alone.

Travel association Abta said Friday is expected to be the busiest day.

Popular short haul destinations for winter sun include Tenerife, Lanzarote and Fuerteventura, while flights to Cape Verde, Jamaica, the Dominican Republic and Goa have seen strong demand by people taking long haul sunshine breaks.

Dublin, Barcelona, New York and Amsterdam are among the most common locations for New Year’s Eve trips.

Airline passengers are advised to leave plenty of time to catch their flights, with a total of 4.5 million people heading abroad between December 18 and January 2.

Abta chief executive Mark Tanzer said: “Christmas and New Year are always a very busy time for the travel industry, with millions of people heading off overseas either to visit friends and family or take a well-earned holiday.

“At certain times, the roads and public transport will be very busy, so we are advising travellers to check in advance and leave extra time to get to the airport if necessary.”

A threatened strike by baggage handlers at 18 airports across the UK was called off this week following a fresh round of talks.