Agencies and airports are bracing themselves for disruption, with Storm Éowyn due to make land tomorrow.
The Met Office has issued several weather warnings in place for the storm over the weekend, including a red warning – its highest – across Northern Ireland and Scotland on Friday, January 24.
The red warning is for wind gusts of up to 100 miles per hour along some exposed coastlines and flying debris, which the Met Office says could cause a danger to life.
People have been warned to expect damage to buildings with roofs blown off and “significant disruption to travel”.
Amber warnings are also in place for parts of Scotland and the north of England on Friday, and the rest of the country is under at least one yellow warning for strong winds, rain and snow.
Barrhead Travel confirmed that some of its stores in Scotland would be closing as a precaution on January 24.
A spokesperson said: “Nothing is more important than the safety and wellbeing of our people. We have been carefully monitoring advice from government, local authorities and transport providers.
“Stores which can safely open will trade as normal, while all branches impacted by the red weather warning will be closed on Friday. Some shopping centres, for example, are already choosing to remain closed for at least part of the day.
“We’re well used to adapting and being able to support our customers virtually – and we’re still expecting a busy weekend ahead. With some flight cancellations already confirmed, we’ll also be supporting customers who need assistance with rebooking and schedule changes.”
One agency preparing for the impact is The Travel Village, based in Blackpool.
Its chief executive officer Phil Nuttall said: “We are ready for the big storm. We have an emergency response team which we kicked into gear this morning at 8am.
“That means we have all the information on all arrivals and departures to make sure they are on our radar as a priority, and we can tick them off as they get going.”
He added: “We have got to be prepared and have the resources ready. There is no doubt airports like Liverpool and Bristol by the coast will be in the firing line, plus Manchester of course.”
Nuttall stressed one difference with Storm Éowyn compared with previous storms he has dealt with is the fact it is happening throughout a full day, rather than overnight, which means it is more likely to impact clients’ travel to and from airports, as well as their flights.
“We do have a duty of care to make sure we are prepared and are not surprised,” he said. “That is what we do for our clients and we will make the arrangements we can for our clients depending on what happens.”
Dawson & Sanderson, which has branches across Newcastle and Yorkshire, similarly confirmed it had “put steps in place” to mitigate for the coming storm.
A spokesperson explained: “Branches will remain open, but we are stressing that colleagues should travel only when safe to do so.
“Our branches are all in shopping centres, city centre or town centre locations which we expect to remain fully open.
“We are putting out social media posts to remind clients they can call or make bookings online as their safety is paramount.”
Dawson & Sanderson will have a 24/7 ‘careline’ open to assist travellers with disrupted plans and staffing levels have been “increased to cover every eventuality”.
The spokesperson added: “A storm of this magnitude is never welcome, and particularly in our busy period, we think we’ve made every effort to assist our clients, and the welfare of our colleagues is cared for.”
Oasis Travel, which has eight shops across Northern Ireland, is also bracing itself preparing for the storm.
Its executive director Sandra Corkin said: “We are just taking things one hour at a time. If necessary, all staff have laptops and office phones can be transferred to mobiles.
“Our priority today is remaining in contact with clients.”
She said there were lots of flight delays “threatened” but nothing confirmed yet, so the agency “will have to see what tomorrow brings”.
A Hays Travel spokesperson said regional sales managers were getting in touch with branches about the incoming storm.
Airports across the country have advised passengers to check the status of their flight before travelling, with bad weather in some areas forecast to last until Saturday.
A spokesperson for AGS Airports, which owns and operates Aberdeen, Glasgow and Southampton airports, said: “With adverse weather forecast for Friday and Saturday, passengers are advised to check the status of their flight with their airline before travelling.”
Edinburgh airport posted on the social media platform X to say it was “working with our airline partners and will continue to monitor the situation”.
Belfast City airport posted a travel advisory on its website stating that, as a result of the warnings, there may be “some disruption to flights” due to arrive and depart on Friday.
A spokesperson for Newcastle airport said: “The Met Office has issued an amber weather warning for the North East, with Storm Éowyn expected to bring winds of up to 80 miles per hour between 6am and 9pm on Friday January 24.”
The airport anticipated disruption to flights arriving and departing and recommended passengers look at its website or app for the latest information.
A Manchester airport spokesperson echoed this as they advised passengers to allow extra time to travel to the airport as transport infrastructure could be affected.
Significant disruption was not anticipated as the current forecasts for Manchester airfield suggested headwinds down the length of the runway rather than crosswinds.
However, flight diversions from other airports, particularly those further north in Scotland and from Dublin in Belfast, were expected.
A spokesperson for Leeds Bradford airport advised customers to check with their airline for the most up-to-date information regarding their flight before travelling to the airport.