Manchester airport recorded its busiest December in its 76 year history, as passenger numbers jumped 7.4 per cent on 2013.
Some 1.4 million people used the airport in December, beating the previous highest December of 1.3 million passengers in December 2007.
The figures from its annual and monthly traffic reports showed a ninth consecutive month of growth, with the annual total reaching 21.9 million – 6.1 per cent higher than 2013.
Ken O’Toole, chief commercial officer for Manchester Airports Group, said: “Looking back, 2014 has been an outstanding year for Manchester in terms of growth and gives us the momentum to attract even more new services and increased capacity on existing routes in 2015.
“The on-going success is testament to our Fly Manchester campaign, targeting people in our catchment who use airports other than ours.
“The large increase in passengers, with a mix of new long haul and short haul services, demonstrates the power of Manchester Airport and the critical role it plays in UK aviation,” he added.
Last month, Manchester airport also saw £3.5 million of investment in security at terminal 1, where four security lanes were added.
Emirates announced last week that its Dubai to Manchester service will be operated with an A380 aircraft from February 1.