Stansted airport is braced to handle more than 1.2 million over the Christmas period – and Friday is expected to be its busiest day for departures.

Some 43,000 passengers are due to jet off on Friday, but the busiest overall day will be December 30 when more than 80,000 passengers will pass through the terminal. On Christmas Day, around 3,000 people are also expected to fly in or out.

Daniel Gallo, Stansted's customer service director, said: 'With the Christmas getaway now in full swing and any uncertainty of strike action now gone we're all set to look after the thousands of people jetting out from Stansted before the big day.

'It is forecast to be one of the busiest ever Christmas getaways with over 1.2 million passengers passing through the airport during the holiday period, we would still advise passengers to allow plenty of time for their journey to the airport and prepare for security checks before they leave home to avoid any unnecessary delays.'

Dublin, Vienna, Milan and the Canary Islands are among the most popular destinations, said Stansted.