The number of flights operating in UK airspace is expected to hit a record high on Friday as more than 9,000 planes take to the skies on the same day as schoolchildren around the world stage a climate strike.

The spike in British flights is down to a combination of factors, including the bank holiday weekend, the Monaco Grand Prix and the close of the Cannes film festival. There is also a significant rise in the number of private jets scheduled to fly to and from the French Riviera.

The previous high came at the same time a year ago, with 8,854 flights, and air traffic controllers expect the numbers to increase again next week.

The anticipated record day is taking place as more than 100 school climate demonstrations are staged in the UK as part of a global protest by schoolchildren about the climate crisis. Aviation is one of the fastest-growing sources of greenhouse gas emissions.

Britain’s busiest airport, Heathrow, which had a record month of 6.79 million passengers in April, also announced on Friday that it would attempt to curb local air pollution by introducing an ultra-low emission zone, matching central London’s, around the airport from 2022. A congestion charge will also come into effect for cars and taxis in 2026, when the third runway is due to open.

Friends of the Earth released a report on Friday accusing the Department for Transport of “going rogue” on the climate crisis by continuing to pursue road-building schemes, as well as the third runway, without due regard to carbon emissions.

Muna Suleiman, a climate campaigner at FoE, said: “We simply cannot allow aviation to continue expanding at this rate if we’re to have any chance of preventing further damage. It’s the richest minority taking the majority of the flights and then leaving the most disadvantaged communities to suffer the worst consequences of climate breakdown.”