Gatwick staff are bracing themselves for a record-breaking Easter, with 380,000 set to pass through its gates.

As the fear of terrorism subsides following the war in Iraq, holidaymakers are preparing to head for the sun.

Tomorrow, staff expect more than 85,000 travellers to fly in or out of the world's busiest single-runway airport.

During the Easter break, airlines are anticipating about 380,000 passengers to use Gatwick.

The most popular destinations remain far from the Middle East.

Malaga, Tenerife, Florida and Barcelona are the leading four hot spots among the 1.6 million Britons expected to pack their bags and set off.

Easter Saturday was expected to be the busiest day, with 82,000 people flying to or from Gatwick, while BAA said more than 68,000 had booked to fly in advance on Easter Sunday.

Gatwick boss Roger Cato said: "Despite the impact of war in the Gulf, we are having a busy Easter.

"It is great to see the terminals buzzing again and we wish all our passengers a safe and enjoyable journey.

"While a number of airlines have recently reduced the frequency of some services, it is encouraging to see new services coming on line."

These include Air Portugal, which has launched a new service to Funchal, Virgin Atlantic, which is flying to Port Harcourt in Nigeria, and Air Bosnia to Sarajevo.

There is still increased security at Gatwick and passengers were today reminded any sharp items should be packed in their checked-in luggage rather than hand luggage.

To speed up the flow through security, travellers are also being urged to remove their top coats and carry only one item of hand baggage each.