London Stansted is preparing for a busy Christmas period after serving nearly two million passengers in November.

More than 1.97 million people travelled through the airport terminal last month, an increase of 7.5 per cent on the same month last year, and the second busiest November on record.

Over the past 12 months, the airport welcomed 27.7 million passengers - an increase of 24 per cent from the previous year.

The top three busiest routes in November were Dublin, Istanbul and Rome, while the most popular countries to visit were Spain, Italy and Poland.

Stansted is now gearing up to welcome around 875,000 passengers during the busy festive getaway period from December 22 to January 2.

Jonathan Fowler, London Stansted's chief operating officer, said: "The first month of the winter season once again demonstrated the strong demand that exists for flights to and from London Stansted thanks to the convenience, choice and great value the airport offers to millions of passengers.

"We expect this positive trend to continue in December and throughout the festive getaway period, when we expect to see more than 875,000 passengers pass through the terminal.

"Our operational preparations for the big getaway are fully underway and our teams working hard to ensure that all passengers receive the best possible experience when travelling through the airport, especially across the very busy festive season.

"We’re also really pleased that passengers that will benefit from the welcome return of the four trains per hour Stansted Express service to and from London from December 10.

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"The restoration of the full service will provide a timely boost to the use of public transport by passengers accessing the airport, as well as making their journeys even more seamless thanks to the ‘turn up and go’ availability of trains."

Popular breaks for passengers during the Christmas period include the Canary Islands, southern Spain, Turkey and Dubai for those seeking warmer climates.

Ski resorts in France, Italy, Austria, Switzerland and Scandinavia are among the top choices for a more traditional wintry experience, while popular short New Year breaks include Edinburgh, Vienna, Amsterdam, Dublin and Barcelona.