East Midlands Airport predicts busiest weekend

East Midlands Airport staff are expecting their busiest weekend of the year as thousands of people jet off to escape the cold weather.

During the first hour of the Easter break on Thursday, more than 2,000 people travelled through the airport, a spokeswoman said.

The most popular destinations are the Canary Islands and Spain as passengers try to seek out the sunshine.

The airport is expecting 60,000 passengers between Thursday and Monday.

With more than 166,000 people expected to travel through the airport over the next two weeks, airport bosses have advised people to allow plenty of time to get to the airport to catch their flights.

East Midlands Airport was forced to close for part of the weekend before Easter as staff worked to clear snow from the runway.