A total of 5.46 million passengers used Birmingham International Airport last year, up 2.5 per cent on 1995.

The number of scheduled passengers was up by 8 per cent, while the number using charter flights was down 5 per cent.

"This is in line with the national pattern, while in terms of the regional airports we have generally performed better than others away from the southeast," said the airport's managing director Mr Brian Summers.