Families flying overseas for the half-term break from Gatwick Airport are flocking to Spain in their droves, the hub has announced.

Officials at Gatwick said that Malaga was the most popular holiday hotspot for families taking advantage of the week-long break from school, with other popular Spanish destinations including Tenerife, Palma de Mallorca and Alicante.

For those heading elsewhere, Edinburgh, Faro in Portugal, Dalaman in Turkey, Orlando in Florida and Amsterdam were the other top destinations.

Almost 500,000 passengers passed through the hub between Friday October 19th and Monday 22nd, with Friday being the busiest of the four key days for half-term travel.

Meanwhile, recent figures from the Office for National Statistics suggested that the number of Britons heading overseas rose by one million in the 12 months to August, with trips to long-haul destinations rising by seven per cent.

Commenting on the findings, Justin Fleming, president of the Association of British Travel Agents, said "Our love affair with foreign travel is in fine shape. Europe is still our number one destination but we are increasingly looking to visit other parts of the world."

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