Commercial flights are to resume to areas which have been affected by Hurricane Irma this week. This comes after thousands of flights across the Caribbean and Florida were battered by the storm's winds in excess of 130mph.

Having now passed by the Leeward Islands, St Martin, the British Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic and Cuba (where damage is being reviewed by authorities), Irma is now shifting north across Florida into south-west Georgia and eastern Alabama.

More than 12,500 flights had been cancelled because of the storm. However, travel is now starting to slowly resume.

The Dominican Republic, Haiti, Antigua and Anguilla only experienced minimal damage and it is expected that some hotels will be in a position to welcome guests from as early as Thursday. The tourism infrastructure in Puerto Rico is also operational and the island is steadily welcoming visitors.

In a statement, British Airways said it is expecting to operate flights from Miami to Heathrow and one of its daily flights from Orlando to Gatwick, although all BA flights between Gatwick and Tampa remain cancelled.

If you have been affected by Hurricane Irma, please remember to contact your car rental agent such as Green Motion in Florida (Miami Airport or Orlando Airport), St Maarten (Princess Juliana Airport or Grand Case Esperance Airport) or please contact Green Motion car hire directly at greenmotion.com or +44 (0) 2071864000.