Gatwick 'most popular British airport'

Gatwick Airport is the most popular British travel base among holidaymakers from the UK, according to the Telegraph Travel Awards 2007.

Readers of the newspaper voted Gatwick their top UK hub, followed by Manchester Airport and Birmingham Airport.

The most popular destination for international travellers this year was New Zealand, according to the award results, followed by island nation the Maldives in the Indian Ocean, and Australia.

Long-haul flights also proved popular in the city holiday market, with Sydney, Cape Town and Vancouver voted the top three foreign cities.

Italy emerged at the top of the list in the 'favourite European country' category, followed by Greece and Switzerland.

The most popular air carriers with Telegraph readers were Singapore Airlines, Emirates and Qatar Airways in the scheduled sector, and Air Berlin, Jet2 and Zoom in the 'no-frills' market.