Good Friday is due to be the busiest day over Easter at Stansted as the airport forecast 350,000 passengers over the four-day bank holiday weekend.
Around 86,000 passengers are expected on Friday – 46,000 departing and 40,000 arriving.
The airport is set to handle 1.4 million passengers across the two-week school Easter holiday period.
The Canary Islands, Turkey, mainland Spain and Dubai are among the top sun destinations from the airport, while France, Italy, Austria, Switzerland, and Scandinavia are popular for end-of-season skiers.
Meanwhile, Gatwick expects the highest number of departures on Easter Sunday, while April 7 is predicted to be the busiest day overall during the holiday period.
The most popular destinations from Gatwick over the Easter period include Barcelona, Malaga and Rome, while Dubai, Orlando and New York are the top long-haul routes.
Stansted chief operating officer Jonathan Fowler said: “Over the Easter holiday period, 1.4 million passengers will pass through the airport and our staff will be working round the clock to ensure the best possible experience.
“The recent wet weather here in the UK has clearly encouraged many to take advantage of the choice, value and simplicity of using London Stansted to catch some much-needed sunshine, visit one of Europe’s great cities or head to the Alps for some end of season skiing.
“We recommend customers prepare for security checks before leaving home to avoid any unnecessary delays.
“We are currently rolling out the new security screening equipment lane-by-lane at the airport, with several new lanes already in operation.
“However, we urge all passengers traveling through to follow all the existing hand luggage rules, which includes the limits on liquids, gels and pastes, which must be placed in a clear plastic bag in containers under 100ml and removing large electrical items, such as laptops, from hand luggage.”
New services being introduced as part of the summer schedule will see Stansted’s network cover more than 190 destinations throughout Europe, North Africa and the Middle East.
Fowler added: “We have a host of new routes, including Royal Jordanian’s new service to Amman, British Airways flights to Nice, Florence, and Ibiza, plus new routes from Ryanair, Jet2.com and SunExpress.”