Reports of long delays at airports and cancelled flights in Europe together with rising prices of airline tickets have stoked a boom for cruises that depart from ports in the UK, Travel Weekly reports on its website.

Phil Evans, owner of Cruise Nation, said about 50% of all current bookings were for ex-UK sailings. “We’re seeing huge demand for ex-UK cruises,” he said, adding that booking volumes for Med fly-cruises were “not where they need to be,” he was quoted as saying.

Amanda Matthews, Managing Director of Designer Travel, said: “We’re booming in cruise. Last week, cruise sales were 13% of our business, normally they would be 4%,” according to the same source.