Easter Getaway: queues expected across West Midlands roads
Millions of people across the region are expected to be going away for the weekend
Last updated 6th Apr 2023
Roads across the West Midlands are expected to be particularly busy this weekend as people head off for an Easter Getaway.
The first bank holiday of the year is expected to see millions of people going away for the extended weekend.
National Highways in the Midlands says the M5, M6 and M42 are expected to be busy, particularly towards Birmingham.
They are lifting more than 1,400 miles of roadworks across the country this Easter Bank Holiday to help motorists enjoy smoother journeys, including on the M1 in Derby.
More than 98 per cent of England’s motorway and major A road network will be free from roadworks over the holiday period.
Drivers are also being reminded to leave plenty of space when overtaking HGVs and to make sure their vehicle is roadworthy.
Birmingham Airport are also set to see an "Easter surge" with more than 414,000 customers expected to pass through Birmingham Airport (BHX) this Easter half-term holiday - 15% more than last year.
Between Monday April 3 and Sunday April 16, 207,000 customers will fly out and the same number will arrive at the Midlands transport hub.
Over the four-day bank holiday Easter weekend (Good Friday to Monday), 126,000 customers - 63,000 departing and 62,700 arriving - are booked to go through BHX. This is 12.5% more than Easter 2022.
The five most popular Easter destinations from BHX are: Dublin, Amsterdam, Dubai, Belfast, and Alicante.
BHX has been preparing for this year’s Easter surge for the past 12 months, including with its ongoing recruitment campaign.
Many new security officers and customer service ambassadors have now been hired, trained, vetted, and deployed into the operation.
Nick Barton, chief executive for Birmingham Airport, said: “While some airports have upgraded their pre-flight screening areas so that customers no longer need to remove liquids and laptops from hand luggage, BHX will not do this until June 2024. Until then, existing air travel rules still apply, including removing liquids and laptops from bags before they go through the scanners.”