Festive holidays to take flight

Thousands of Scots will spend Christmas in sunnier climes

Scotland's airports are expecting the busiest festive period on record, with an estimated 500,000 passengers across the UK expected to travel abroad.

Airports operator BAA said Aberdeen, Glasgow and Edinburgh airports will handle the most traffic.

The most popular destinations over Christmas and New Year include Paris, New York, Tenerife, Dublin and Amsterdam.

BAA Scotland is urging holidaymakers to be safety conscious.

Travellers are being advised to leave Christmas presents unwrapped and not to bring party poppers or crackers for security reasons.

BAA Scotland said 27 December is expected to be the busiest day of the festive period.

Sandy McPherson, of the Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA), said he was expecting a busy time.

Air fares are coming down, generally, and this year more people are travelling further afield Sandy McPherson, ABTA

He said: "People are travelling more frequently, have more leisure and holiday time and are making better use of it.

"Air fares are coming down, generally, and this year more people are travelling further afield."

Glasgow and Edinburgh airports are appealing for new runways to help deal with an increase in passenger numbers.

The two airports, along with Aberdeen, Inverness and Prestwick, could be handling up to 50m passengers a year by 2030.

That compares to 16m passengers in 2000.