More passengers fly out of Birmingham

Some 580,453 passengers used the airport over the 28 days, an 8.5 per cent increase compared to the same month last year.

Scheduled traffic during February increased by 11.9 per cent and one in five of all passengers travelled on a long-haul service.

Airport chief executive Paul Kehoe said: "This continued passenger growth demonstrates that more travellers are enjoying the range of services and facilities offered by the airport and the hassle free experience of getting to and through the terminal."

Scheduled routes that saw the largest growth in February were Lyon, Waterford, Chambery, Fuerteventura, Arrecife, Stuttgart and Funchal, Hanover, Istanbul and Belfast International.

Charter routes that saw most growth were Portugal, Barbados, Finland, France, Gambia and Italy.

Scheduled traffic in February accounted for 88.7 per cent of all traffic, with charter flights making up the remaining 11.3 per cent.

The airport is already gearing up for the opening of its newly extended runway next month, which will give it a much further reach around the world. The extra length will mean aircraft will be able to carry more fuel on take-off, giving them the distance to reach the Far East and the West Coast of America.

A new direct service to China is already set to launch in the summer, taking tourists and business travellers between the West Midlands and the Chinese capital, Beijing,