Around four million people are planning to spend the festive period overseas, according to travel organisation ABTA.
ABTA is forecasting that next Thursday is set to be a peak day for travel, with around 1.5 million travellers leaving Heathrow Airport and 323,000 flying out from Manchester Airport.
ABTA chairman John McEwan said: “Christmas is traditionally the busiest time of year for the travel industry and I am delighted to see that so many of our customers are taking this opportunity to head off on holiday and to visit friends and family, both in the UK and overseas.”
However, the weekend’s snow fall and the closure of many airports across the UK could lead to delays for some travellers unless the weather starts to warm up.
Written by Alex Cochrane.