Guernsey Airport alone was expecting about 6,000 passengers this weekend, including yesterday.
Between now and 2 January more than 21,000 passengers are expected to travel through the airport.
Meanwhile, nearly 6,500 passengers are also booked to travel to and from the island by boat over this period, and more than 3,600 tonnes of freight is due to arrive before Christmas Day.
Ports is hoping that there will be no repeat of last year when strong winds followed by fog caused major disruption in the lead-up to Christmas, with the last flight arriving just after midnight on Christmas Day after the airport remained open late.
‘Our teams are ready, and we are hoping that the weather is kind to everyone,’ said airport director Richard Thomasson.
‘As always, our aim is to keep the passenger flow moving as smoothly as possible. We therefore ask everyone to allow plenty of time to get to the airport, as there will be a lot of people having to go through check-in and security at the morning and evening peak times.
‘We would also encourage anyone travelling with just hand luggage, especially on early-morning flights, to check-in online and proceed straight to security.’
Those with luggage can use Aurigny’s twilight check-in service which is available daily between 3pm and 8pm apart from on Christmas Eve when it will not be running, and New Year’s Eve when it will operate from 3-7pm.
Anyone requiring assistance can book with their airline 48 hours prior to travel.
Acting harbour master James Way said that it was also ready for a busy time.
‘A full freight schedule will maintain the supply of essential goods into the island during the festive season, with nearly all the island’s food, fuel, building materials and countless other goods arriving by sea,’ he said.
There is usually a 20% increase in demand throughout December.
Harbours’ maritime watch officers and search mission coordinators will continue to provide 24/7 search and rescue cover over the holiday period, he said.
Passengers travelling through Guernsey Airport who plan to carry Christmas presents in their hand luggage are advised to not wrap them before their flight, because security staff may have to open them to check any contents.
You need to be logged in to comment. If you had an account on our previous site, you can migrate your old account and comment profile to this site by visiting this page and entering the email address for your old account. We'll then send you an email with a link to follow to complete the process.