Manchester airport has announced that it is preparing for the coming festive period to be among its busiest ever as Brits abroad come home for Christmas and others jet off in search of warmer weather.
The north-west hub said that, between 21 December and 1 January 2008, it is expecting to handle more than half a million passengers.
Saturday 22 December is predicted to be the most hectic day of all, with 58,000 people boarding flights.
Over the course of a single five-day period, some 270,000 passengers are expected to fly to their Christmas holiday destination from Manchester.
Winter sun appears to be the main motivation for many festive holidaymakers, with the hotspots of Tenerife, Alicante and Malaga the three most popular destinations.
Las Vegas and Dubai are set to be the top long-haul locations, while the short break market will be dominated by Paris, Rome and Bergen in Norway.
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