Airport strikes to 'wreak havoc' and Peru evacuates tourists

There are also warnings about roads being at their “busiest ever” in the two days before Christmas as people avoid the impact of strikes by jumping in their cars.

Elsewhere, Peru’s authorities have evacuated hundreds of tourists from Machu Picchu following the civil unrest that has struck the South American destination in recent days

Back in the UK, the largest-ever cruise ship built specifically for the British market has arrived in its home port of Southampton.

Here are the headlines the travel industry woke up to on Monday (19 December).

Airport strikes to ‘wreak havoc’ over Christmas

Walkouts by Border Force staff could cause misery for millions of passengers arriving at UK airports during the first restriction-free Christmas in three years. There are fears of two-hour queues at passport control as immigration staff go on strike over the festive period at six major airports. (The Times)

Peru evacuates hundreds of stranded tourists

Hundreds of tourists stranded in Peru’s ancient city of Machu Picchu are being evacuated after the country was plunged into a state of emergency following the ousting of the president. Train services and airports are now reopening following interruptions and closures last week. (CNN)

Festive traffic ‘busiest ever’ as drivers shun unreliable trains and planes

This year’s Christmas getaway could be the “busiest ever”, according to the AA motoring organisation, as transport strikes push millions of extra vehicles on to the roads. A total of 45 million cars could be taking to the UK’s motorways and trunk roads in the two days before 25 December. (The Telegraph)

Biggest cruise ship built for Britain arrives home to Southampton

The largest cruise ship ever built for the British market – P&O Cruises’ Arvia – arrived in her home port of Southampton for the first time on Sunday (18 December). Arvia has capacity for up to 5,500 passengers as well as 1,500 crew. (ITV News)

Train strikes disrupting weekend before Christmas

Train passengers are facing further disruption on the last weekend before Christmas as rail workers continue their latest strike action on Saturday (24 December). Most services will be affected as RMT members stage another 48-hour walkout. Network Rail has urged people not to travel on trains unless absolutely necessary. (BBC News)

Stormzy ‘gets into disagreement’ with airport staff over passport issue

Rapper Stormzy was prevented from boarding a flight to Qatar for the World Cup final at Heathrow on Saturday (17 December) due to an issue with his passport. The musician was reported to have “appeared irritated” with airport staff during the incident. (The Daily Mail)