Meanwhile, a drought is set to be declared in England as the country bakes amid a new Met Office amber warning for severe heat, which will stay in place over the weekend.

Elsewhere, more than 30 people were injured in an accident at a Legoland theme park in Germany, while New Zealand wants to target wealthy visitors as the country reopens after its long border closure.

Here are the headlines that travel woke up to on Friday (12 August).

UK airport disruption eases after passenger caps and cancellations

The disruption that plagued UK airports earlier in the summer has eased in recent weeks thanks to passenger caps and flight cancellations. Just 0.34% of UK flights were cancelled in the first week of August compared to more than 5% in last week of June. (Financial Times)

Stansted urges passengers not to turn up too early

Bosses at Stansted have told holidaymakers not to arrive too early at the airport to avoid making crowding issues worse. Some travellers have been turning up five hours before their flight but they have been advised that three hours before departure is sufficient. (BBC News)

Drought alert: new rules on way as climate crisis bites

England is likely to be declared officially in drought on Friday (12 August), which would allow water companies to impose tough restrictions on water use as the latest heatwave is set to continue throughout the weekend. (The Guardian)

Legoland rollercoaster crash leaves 31 injured as two trains collide

More than 30 people were injured after a rollercoaster crashed at a Legoland theme park in Germany on Thursday (11 August). The accident happened when two trains smashed into each other after one braked suddenly. (The Sun)

New Zealand needs wealthy visitors not ‘noodle-eating backpackers’

The country’s tourism minister has said New Zealand should be attracting wealthy foreign holidaymakers at the expense of “dried noodle” eating backpackers. Stuart Nash said the destination wanted “high quality” international visitors as it reopens after a lengthy border closure due to the pandemic. (The Telegraph)

Rail union warns of ‘long-haul’ dispute

Train drivers are set to take strike action on Saturday (13 August) in a move that will shut down a large part of the UK rail network. Drivers union Aslef has warned that the pay dispute could last into the winter. (Financial Times)

Tourists stunned as Wizz Air jet skims their heads on Greek beach

Holidaymakers on a beach in Greece got a shock when a low-flying Wizz Air aircraft zoomed above their heads shortly before landing in Skiathos, where the airport’s runway is located very close to the beach. (The Independent)