The Government is set to announce major changes to the current UK travel rules today.

Reports have suggested that the green and amber list of low-risk countries to fly to will be merged.

Additionally, it is expected that the number of countries on the red list of no-go countries will be reduced.

What time is the next UK travel update happening?

Transport Secretary Grant Schapps will announce the changes at some point this afternoon.

An exact time of when this announcement will be held has still not officially been released yet by Government officials.

Earlier today, data expert Tim White told Sky News that as many as 12 countries could lose their red designation.

This could be Argentina, Bangladesh, Dominican Republic, Indonesia, Kenya, Maldives, Mexico, Pakistan, Peru, South Africa, Sri Lanka and Turkey.

Rules around red list travel - spending 11 nights in a quarantine hotel at a cost of £2,285 for solo travellers - are expected to remain the same.

A Department for Transport spokesman said: "Our top priority is to protect public health - decisions on our traffic light system are kept under regular review and are informed by the latest risk assessment from the Joint Biosecurity Centre and wider public health factors."

The expected changes will be a big boost for those within the airline industry.

Speaking to the Argus, AJ Bell financial analyst Danni Hewson said: “The UK’s traffic light system has come in for considerable criticism from both industry bosses and consumers so it’s little wonder the speculation that it’s about to be scrapped has chimed with investors.

“October half-term is the next big opportunity for the travel sector and any changes that can make travelling less unsettling and testing less expensive will yield dividends.”