A major international airport near Tokyo is crowded with travelers heading overseas for the New Year holidays.
The annual exodus at Narita International Airport is hitting its peak on Saturday.
Travelers in the departure lobby are forming long lines at check-in counters.
The airport’s operator says more than 42,000 people are expected to depart for overseas destinations on Saturday alone.
Officials say Hawaii, Guam, Taiwan and other short-haul destinations are popular this year because of the shorter-than-usual New Year holidays.
They say some people are avoiding travel to France, apparently due to the November terrorist attacks in Paris.
The operator says the number of travelers using the airport during the holiday season is expected to increase by 4 percent from last year, to 1.267 million. It credits this to new flights and to an increase in the number of existing flights, mainly on routes to the United States and South East Asia.
It says the busiest day for travelers returning home will be January 3.
Source and image: NHK
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