This Easter weekend will see more than 2 million Brits take to the skies to jet off on holiday.
ABTA, an association of travel agents and tour operators, estimates that Good Friday and Easter Sunday will be the busiest days for travel.
The organisation says it will also be busy due to Easter being in the middle of the school holidays – with some people returning from a week’s holiday and others heading away.
Travel this Easter will look a bit different compared to previous years, with the conflict in the Middle East affecting where people can travel, and many people changing their plans and holidaying in Europe instead.
ABTA members report strong bookings for mainland Spain, the Balearic and Canary Islands, Portugal and Greece.
ABTA has revealed a huge number of Brits are heading abroad this Easter, with Portugal one of the popular destinations
British holidaymakers could face long queues when travelling through European airports at this busy time
City break destinations are also proving popular, with Amsterdam, Barcelona, Budapest and Dublin leading the way.
As Easter falls early this year, many are also looking to make the most of the last of the season’s snow.
ABTA adds that those travelling to Europe will also have a different experience at passport control – with the Entry/Exit System (EES) in operation at most borders.
This means people will need to register their details in the new system when they get to the border both when arriving and leaving participating European countries, and may need to provide a facial scan and/or fingerprints as well.
ABTA says people need to factor EES into their travel plans as it is likely to take longer to go through passport control.
Travellers should follow the advice of their travel provider regarding EES, particularly in terms of when to arrive for their return journey, and allow plenty of time to go through passport control.
Mark Tanzer, ABTA chief executive, said: ‘Easter is one of the busiest times for the travel industry as millions use this opportunity to take a break and head overseas.
‘ABTA travel agents and tour operators have been working hard to support their customers in the run-up to the Easter period, helping them prepare for their travels and making alternative arrangements where their holiday has been affected by the conflict in the Middle East.
‘We’re encouraging everyone who is travelling over this period to take some time to check their arrangements before setting off, including recognising the roads are likely to be busy.
‘So leave plenty of time to get to your departure port, check for any engineering works if using public transport and be mindful that if travelling to Europe you may need to go through EES checks both when arriving and leaving your destination.’
It comes after airports have warned families to brace for Easter holiday delays as the new EU border rules come into effect.
It comes as the new Entry/Exit System (EES) is set to be fully implemented this Easter
Airports across Europe have already faced long queues as a result, including Lisbon Humberto Delgado Airport (pictured)
Holidaymaking Brits could find themselves facing queues at European airports over the Easter break as a consequence.
The EES has been slowly rolled out across Europe since October 2025, with 29 countries now bringing in a new biometric border control process.
Under the new rules, any non-EU nationals, including UK citizens, who enter the Schengen Area are required to register biometric details, including fingerprints and photographs.
They will also need to provide proof of accommodation, sufficient funds, medical insurance and a return ticket.
But there are fears the new system could cause mass disruption to travellers.
Airports Council International (ACI) said: ‘The latest data collected from airports across Europe shows a continued deterioration in waiting times at border crossing points located in airports.
‘Waiting times are now regularly reaching up to two hours at peak traffic times, with some airports reporting even longer queues.’
Airlines and aviation trade bodies have also expressed their concerns over the delays and disruptions.
Olivier Jankovec, the director-general of ACI, and Ourania Georgoutsakou, the managing director of Airlines for Europe, said: ‘Passengers entering the Schengen area are likely to wait even longer at border control during Easter due to the persisting operational challenges around the EES rollout.’
Meanwhile, British holidaymakers are already facing travel chaos, with four-hour airport queues being reported this week.
The Home Office and holiday companies have warned of two to four-hour queues at some destinations over the Bank Holiday weekend.
Long, slow-moving queues have been reported at popular Schengen area airports, such as including Lisbon Humberto Delgado Airport, along with technical issues, such as crashing gates, as witnessed in Gran Canaria last month.
In some cases, passengers have missed flights amid 70 per cent longer processing times.
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