Winter sunseekers and skiers jet away for half-term

Hot on the heels of a record-breaking January, London Stansted is set for its busiest week of the year so far as thousands jet away for half-term.

More than 360,000 passengers are expected to fly from the airport over the next 10 days, with families from across the East of England heading away for some winter sun, to go skiing, and to visit friends and family.

Today (Feb 16) is predicted to be one of the busiest days, which coincides with schools across the region breaking up for the holiday.

The Canary Islands, Southern Spain, Turkey, and Dubai are among the most popular destinations for people seeking sunshine.

For those heading to the slopes, Geneva, Chambery, Grenoble, Turin, Innsbruck, and Zurich are the top choices.

Also popular are short breaks to European cities like Edinburgh, Vienna, Amsterdam, Dublin, and Barcelona.

The airport is encouraging passengers to take some simple steps to help their journey through the terminal go as smoothly as possible.

Nick Millar, London Stansted’s Operations Director, said:

“Our teams are looking forward to helping passengers get their trips off to the best possible start, but we do suggest a few simple steps that will ensure their journey is as seamless as possible.

“We recommend that you check with your airline on when you need to arrive at the airport, which is normally two to three hours before departure, and to familiarise yourselves with hand luggage rules.

“This includes the limits in place on liquids, gels and pastes, which must be placed in a clear plastic bag in containers under 100ml.

“We also advise to plan your journey to the airport and check for travel disruption before setting off.”

Full details of what passengers can carry through security as hand baggage are available on the website. http://www.stanstedairport.com/at-the-airport/security/

The airport kicked-off 2024 with its busiest January ever, welcoming 1.95 million passengers. A host of new routes will launch over the next few months, including Royal Jordanian’s new service to Amman, British Airways flights to Nice, Florence and Ibiza plus new routes from Ryanair, Jet2.com and Sun Express.