Passenger numbers at Stansted Airport topped the 2million mark for the fourth consecutive month during August.

The total of 2.2m, up 9.7% on August 2014, was helped by a record load factor of 93.5% (the proportion of available seats on flights filled).

It marked a 17th consecutive month of growth for Stansted and its busiest August since 2008.

The rolling annual passenger total for the year to the end of August rose to 21.9m, representing an increase of 16.3% over the previous 12 months and again making Stansted the fastest-growing among all the UK’s major airports.

Andrew Harrison, managing director at Stansted Airport, said: “The significant growth in traffic at Stansted continued at great pace during August and saw us top the 2m passengers a month total for a fourth month in a row as well as enjoy our 17th consecutive month of growth.

“Underpinning this sustained period of growth is the record number of passengers on each flight in and out of the airport – on average, 93.5% of all available seats were occupied during the month, an all-time high for Stansted.

“This success is great testament to the popularity of our route network, the outstanding operational efficiency of our airline partners and the desire of local people to fly from their local airport.”

He added: “Although we are now through the busy school holiday period, there will still be lots for passengers to look forward to at Stansted in the coming months.

“Our £80m terminal re-development project is due for completion later this autumn and passengers will be able to enjoy even more choice of destinations as we see the launch of even more new routes, including easyJet to Reykjavik, Germanwings to Vienna and SAS to Gothenburg.”