Leeds-Bradford Airport staff are bracing themselves for a half-term holiday bonanza as families look to jet off somewhere warm when the schools break up today.

The airport has estimated that 60,000 passengers will fly out from the Yeadon airport to take advantage of the week-long school holiday.

An airport spokesman said many would be travelling to warmer destinations, with the most popular destinations from Leeds-Bradford named as Lanzarote, Tenerife, Malaga and Faro.

But some holidaymakers are also connecting to long-haul destinations worldwide via Amsterdam and London’s Heathrow. Numerous passengers are also heading for city breaks in Amsterdam, Paris, Venice and London.

Tony Hallwood, Leeds- Bradford Airport’s marketing director, said: “The October half-term is always popular with holidaymakers jetting off to enjoy some sun as we head into winter.

“Thanks to the wide range of leisure and city break destinations available from Yorkshire’s gateway airport passengers will be able to take advantage of some fantastic offers available this autumn. We also anticipate an increase ininbound tourists visiting Yorkshire.”

Travel firms Jet2.com and Jet2holidays are also gearing up for a busy half-term – they expect more than 15,000 holidaymakers to jet off with them from Leeds-Bradford this weekend.

The companies say sunshine beach holidays are the most popular with Alicante, Majorca and Malaga being the favoured destinations. Dubrovnik is also seeing a rise in popularity.

Steve Heapy, chief executive officer of Jet2.com and Jet2holidays, said: “With our winter sun hotspots being the most popular destinations, it appears that families are using this school holiday to enjoy some family fun in the sun before the cold winter months really kick in.”