The majority of British air passengers stranded overseas by the volcanic ash cloud are expected to have made it home by tonight, the Association of British Travel Agents said.
Abta chief executive Mark Tanzer said most flights were back to normal and most stranded British passengers were expected back by the end of the weekend.
He said the aim was to have more than 100,000 British passengers repatriated by tonight.
But, according to industry figures compiled by travel journalist Simon Calder, there were still 10,000 passengers stranded in Egypt, 9,000 in Florida, 5,000 in South Africa, 4,000 in California, 2,500 in Thailand, and 2,000 in Malaysia.
Britons stranded in Bangkok were reportedly too scared to leave Suvarnabhumi Airport for fear of being caught up in anti-government protests.
In an attempt to clear the backlog, both Virgin Atlantic and British Airways appealed for volunteers to give up their seats to stranded travellers.
Budget airline easyJet said stranded passengers would be home by the end of the weekend.
Chief executive Andy Harrison said: "Bringing 200,000 passengers home has required a massive airlift, and I thank our passengers for their patience and understanding during this unprecedented natural disaster."
Virgin Atlantic boss Sir Richard Branson has condemned ash cloud flight restrictions as an "over-reaction".
Sir Richard blamed the Government for grounding planes for six days when "all the experts" were saying there was "no danger at all to flying".
