Long-haul travel - particularly across the Atlantic - is on the rise, according to one expert.

Donna Casey of airport operator BAA said that particularly popular far-flung destinations include New York, Dubai, Los Angeles, Hong Kong and Sydney, and that the majority of long-haul flights take off from Heathrow Airport.

Business class flights to countries such as India and China are also seeing strong interest, she added.

The comments came after officials at Heathrow predicted that New York, Paris and Dublin would be the most sought-after holiday locations over the festive period.

"Aviation continues to show strong growth in the UK, with business travel up and transatlantic travel up on last year," Ms Casey explained.

The number of Britons heading overseas has tripled since 1985, according to figures from the Office for National Statistics.

Holidaymakers flying abroad spent a collective £32.2 billion on travel during 2005, the body's research also indicated.

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