Derby,
19
December
2018
|
13:11
Europe/Amsterdam

Lure of sunshine too tempting for many at Christmas

Summary

Being at home and cooking a large meal for family and friends is not everyone’s cup of tea at Christmas. For many people, it’s the ideal time to jet off to sunnier climes.

Approximately 105,000 passengers are expected to fly through East Midlands Airport between now and the New Year. Many of those are in search of warmer weather. Topping people’s destinations are the Canaries and southern Spain for winter sunshine as well as people flying home across the UK. The top 10 destinations are:

  1. Tenerife
  2. Lanzarote
  3. Alicante
  4. Malaga
  5. Dublin
  6. Belfast
  7. Fuerteventura
  8. Edinburgh
  9. Glasgow
  10. Wrocław

There are three departures on Christmas day to Alicante and Tenerife.

Passengers are encouraged to think carefully about what they pack. Those wishing to take Christmas crackers with them should check with their airline before flying as policies do vary.

Andy Tyler-Smith, EMA’s Customer Services and Security Director, says: “Despite jetting off to sunnier destinations, many passengers want to retain some elements of a traditional Christmas. It has been known for passengers to bring cooked Turkeys with them. We advise against this simply because it won’t taste very nice upon arrival! Birds aside, we do urge passengers to be sensible about what they bring; things that make loud explosive noises such as party poppers are a no-no, and some operators don’t allow crackers on board. As always, we recommend passengers check with their airline before travelling.”

East Midlands Airport attracts just under 5m passengers a year who fly to over 80 destinations in Europe and to Orlando in the US, and Cancun in Mexico. As the UK’s largest airport for dedicated cargo aircraft, it plays a critical role in ensuring shoppers receive gifts ordered online in time for Christmas. At this time of year, over one million individual parcels are passing through the airport each night.