THOUSANDS of extra travellers are due to descend on airports, trains and roads across Scotland this weekend for the great Easter getaway.

As schools prepare to break up for the spring holidays, airports at Glasgow and Aberdeen are predicting higher passenger numbers, with the majority of travellers expected to head to the Continent and beyond.

Ferry company Caledonian MacBrayne also reported an increase in travellers heading to the Western Isles and Hebrides.

A spokesman for Glasgow Airport said 180,000 people were expected through the airport over the next two weekends, with the Canaries, Balearics, Turkey, Spain and Florida proving to be the most popular destinations.

The airport would normally handle an average of 65,000 passengers each weekend.

The high traveller figures come after key airlines including Emirates and Virgin increased capacity on popular routes.

Glasgow Airport managing director, Amanda McMillan, said: "The Easter school holiday break is always a busy time for the airport and this year will be no different, which is very encouraging.

"We have enjoyed a great deal of success in recent months in expanding our route network, and the greater choice of destinations is one of the main reasons why more and more people are choosing to start their holiday from Glasgow Airport."

At Aberdeen, higher numbers of holidaymakers were noted yesterday. Edinburgh also saw a modest rise. A spokesman said next Thursday is due to be the airport's peak day for travel over the holiday period, with 31,000 arrivals and departures due, almost double the normal figure.

Amsterdam, Dublin and Paris were due to be the busiest routes, with New York, Palma and Frankfurt also set to receive increased passenger numbers from the capital.

Travel site Expedia said it had seen a 50% surge in domestic trip bookings this Easter compared with Easter last year.

London is the top destination, followed by Edinburgh, the Cotswolds, Manchester, Liverpool and Birmingham.

Motorists have been warned to check for roadworks ahead of journeys. There are a number of planned engineering projects this weekend and next, including those on the Forth Road Bridge, where traffic will be reduced to a single lane on Saturday and Sunday morning from 3am until noon.

Long delays in both directions are anticipated, with travellers advised to consider leaving earlier or using public transport or alternative routes.

Chief engineer and bridgemaster Barry Colford said work on bolts and the tension of the cables had finished, and equipment now had to be cleared up. He added: "If the weather is fair, we will be aiming to finish the work and lift the restrictions as soon as possible, but we will only do so when there is no risk to our personnel and bridge users."

"Thanks to the travelling public taking account of our advice last time, delays were less than we might have expected.

"However, we are very aware of the pressures on the transport system at holiday times and would ask people to be mindful of potential delays."

Improvements to the rail network will see a change to Virgin Trains services at Easter, with trains travelling between Crewe and Glasgow/Edinburgh likely to face disruption.

However, engineering work will be suspended during peak travel times over the spring break in a bid to keep upset to a minimum.

The AA said that with tanker drivers' strike action ruled out over Easter, any concern over fuel was unlikely to deter people from travelling. The latest AA poll of members showed up to 51% of Scots are likely to drive somewhere over the holiday spell.