The Hong Kong International Airport said on Sunday that it is stepping up services as people begin to fly out for the Christmas break.

Long queues snaked around check-in counters at Chek Lap Kok, with many travellers saying they’re excited to take a break.

A woman, surnamed Koo, told RTHK she’s off to Thailand for a warm Christmas.

"Five of us are joining a meditation camp there, then I'll visit Bangkok and Pattaya for six days. There's not much to do in Hong Kong. The atmosphere here isn't too good because people tend to go home early," she said.

"If we go out to Mongkok, I go home when it starts turning dark, probably because of the habits we picked up during the pandemic. But when we're away from the city, we stay up later because the atmosphere is better.”

The Kwok family, meanwhile, said they’re looking forward to a white Christmas in Japan.

"We're going to Osaka! We're so happy! It's so much fun there - and we're going to Universal Studios Japan!" the son said.

“We bought the tickets way ahead, and we want our kids to experience Christmas somewhere different. If it snows, our kids will be able to look at the natural scenery," the father added.

The Airport Authority is advising people to travel to the airport via public transport.

It had said earlier that it’s expecting to handle around 200,000 passengers daily over the Christmas period, reaching pre-pandemic levels.