More than 1.2 million passengers are expected to travel to and from one of London Stansted’s 200 destinations over the Christmas and New Year period.

The airport expects December 29th will be the busiest day of the festive season, with 88,000 passengers set to travel through the terminal.

At the same time, Christmas Day will be the quietest during the holidays, with an estimated 3,500 passengers.

December 20th is likely to be the busiest for departures before the big day, with 45,000 passengers heading overseas.

Spain is the top Christmas destination, with Malaga, Alicante and the Canary Islands the most popular.

Flights to southern Turkey and Portugal will also be busy, while further afield people are flocking to Dubai with Emirates for some winter sun.

Destinations in eastern France, northern Italy, Austria, Switzerland and Scandinavia are attracting early season skiers while popular New Year’s Eve breaks include Edinburgh, Vienna, Amsterdam, Dublin and Barcelona.

London Stansted head of security, James von der Fecht, said: “Christmas is always a very busy time for the airport with people heading off for winter sun or some early snow in the Alps.

“We’ve more than 1.2 million passengers passing through the airport during the holiday period, so we suggest passengers allow plenty of time for their journey to the airport.

“Our staff will be working around the clock over the festive period to provide the best possible service to all our passengers.

“We recommend that customers prepare for security checks before they leave home to avoid any unnecessary delays and to make sure their holidays get off to a stress free and enjoyable start.”