More than two million people are expected to fly abroad this weekend as most schools in England and Wales start their summer break, Abta says.
The busiest day of the weekend (July 21-24) is set to be Saturday, July 22, according to Abta, with the most popular destinations including the Costa del Sol, the Balearic Islands and the Canary Islands.
Hundreds of thousands are due to depart from Heathrow and Gatwick, while Stansted is expecting 199,000 and Luton is anticipating 116,000.
More: Abta urges holidaymakers to follow travel checklist
Abta chief executive Mark Tanzer said: “Many [families] will be taking their first overseas summer holiday since the pandemic, returning to much-loved destinations and will have a fantastic experience in store.”
Aside from Spain, Abta members are reporting strong demand for Bulgaria, Portugal, Turkey, Morocco and Greece.
Manchester is expecting 200,000 passengers, Bristol around 71,000 and Glasgow more than 100,000, even though Scottish schools are weeks into their break. Other Scottish airports are also set to be busy, Abta said.
Tanzer said: “We’re encouraging people to have a fun and safe holiday by taking sensible precautions if you’re heading to an area with exceptionally high temperatures.
“And taking particular care when in the water and on balconies. We have advice available to travellers at abta.com to help you have a safe trip.”
A total of 11,839 flights are scheduled to depart this weekend, according to aviation analytics firm Cirium, equating to more than 2.1 million seats.
The number of departures is 89% of 2019 levels – when 13,242 flights left UK airports during the main summer getaway weekend – but the figure is 11% higher than the same weekend in 2022 and up 88% compared with 2021.
EasyJet is set to offer the most flights, followed by British Airways, Ryanair, Jet2 and Loganair.
Meanwhile, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) issued a reminder to summer travellers of “simple steps” to reduce their risk of common infections when travelling abroad.
The government body also said: “Temperatures are soaring across Europe. Drink plenty of water to help prevent dehydration, protect yourself by regularly applying sunscreen with a broad spectrum of sun protection factor (SPF) of 15 or higher, and wear protective clothing, such as hats and sunglasses. Follow advice from local public health agencies where you are visiting.”