Eurotunnel Le Shuttle broke the record for outbound summer traffic to the continent last weekend, despite action by migrants to disrupt services.
More than 35,000 cars, campervans, motorcycles and coaches, equivalent to 150,000 passengers, used the Le Shuttle service through the Channel Tunnel at the start of the school summer holidays.
More than 3,600 pets – mainly dogs – also travelled with their owners during the July 23-26 period, up 16% on the same time last year.
Le Shuttle claims that about 90% of all pets travelling through UK ports and airports under the Pet Travel Scheme last year were carried on the service.
Commercial director, Jo Willacy, said: “With traffic levels like this at the start of the season, it looks like 2015 could be a bumper year.”
The comments came as police re-introduced Operation Stack on a section of the M20 in Kent due to high volumes of freight traffic heading toward Dover and the Eurotunnel terminal and continued disruption in Calais.
DFDS Seaways services between Dover and Calais were suspended over the weekend after a ferry was hit by a distress flare on Saturday but resumed this morning.
The ferry operator has been the target of protests by French ferry workers after Eurotunnel agreed to offload its MyFerryLink operation to DFDS.
Carsten Jensen, senior vice president and head of DFDS Seaways in the UK, said: “The safety of our customers and crew is paramount and after a thorough assessment of the situation and reassurances from all parties involved, we have taken the decision to resume our service on the Dover to Calais route.”