Year-end travel peaking at Narita Airport

Vacationers heading overseas for the New Year holiday are flooding into Narita Airport near Tokyo. Crowds of travelers are forming long lines in the departure lobby.

Airport officials say over 53,000 people will leave on international flights on Friday, when year-end departures peak.

They say resort spots like Hawaii and Cebu Island in the Philippines are popular destinations.

They say short-distance flights to Hong Kong, Taiwan and elsewhere are also heavily booked.

The officials say more than 1.2 million people are expected to depart from or arrive at Narita between December 22nd and January 3rd, up 11 percent from a year ago.