Millions take part in great escape from Britain

Heathrow Airport will be busy this weekend as millions of British tourists are expected to take flight from the rainy UK weather, according to the Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA).

ABTA predicts that around two million holidaymakers will leave Britain with Friday August 22nd and Saturday August 23rd being the busiest days, with nearly half of holidaymakers set to fly from airports in the south-east.

Heathrow Airport will see the most number of passengers, with more than 420,000 departures, followed by Gatwick Airport (260,000), Stansted Airport (160,000) and Luton Airport (80,000).

Of the regional gateways, Manchester Airport will be the lead the way with 160,000 passengers, while the Scottish hubs of Edinburgh Airport, Glasgow Airport and Aberdeen Airport will handle a joint total of 140,000 travellers.

ABTA president Justin Fleming said: "The August bank holiday is our traditional goodbye to the summer and is always very busy. This year is no exception with large numbers escaping to guaranteed sunshine, sandy beaches and warm seas."