PASSENGER numbers are rising at Birmingham Airport, which handled more than half a million passengers in February 2014, with Dublin, Dubai and Amsterdam the most popular destinations. 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 nearly a quarter (20.7 per cent) of all passengers travelled on a long-haul service.

Paul Kehoe, chief executive of Birmingham Airport, 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.”