Bookings to Portugal had risen by 42% over the two weeks to 13 March, according to Thomas Cook. This was the biggest upward shift out of the destinations it covers, followed by the Balearic Islands (40%) and the Canary Islands (16%). Searches for the Dominican Republic, Antigua, Cape Verde and Italy's Tuscany region have all more than doubled between March 1-11, compared with the 11 previous days, according to the figures. Last year was the busiest ever for flights, according to the UK Civil Aviation Authority's latest aviation trends report, and many industry bodies expect 2026 to break those totals. A spokesperson said the capacity of flights has risen from about 80% to almost 90%, meaning there was limited scope to pivot away from the Middle East. Passenger numbers are expected to be up by 10–20% compared with last year with Dublin, Barcelona, Paris, Alicante and Copenhagen all seeing big rises, they added.