Passenger numbers at Leeds Bradford airport have soared to an all time high.

More than 783,800 people flew from the airport between May and September - beating all records since the airport opened.

The peak came in August with 166,252 travellers - the highest number of passengers in any one month.

Passenger confidence following last year's terrorist attacks in America has also been restored.

The number of passengers flying this September is on par with flights in 2000. Ed Anderson, airport managing director, said: "These figures are the tangible proof of the contribution that Yorkshire's premier airport is making to the region's economy." The routes which saw the largest increases over the previous summer were: Dublin (Ryanair) - up 108.5 per cent; Belfast - up 30.0 per cent; Edinburgh - up 48.7 per cent; and Amsterdam - up 32.2 per cent. Routes introduced over the last 12 months, which include services to Gatwick, Cork and Bristol, have also shown rising passenger numbers.

"It is a combination of more people wanting to fly but there are also more opportunities because of the growth in new routes," Mr Anderson said.

Mr Anderson added the growth in scheduled flights is a bonus for local businesses.

"The increase in business travel helps local business by giving them the opportunity to fly from a local airport rather than having to travel to London or across the Pennines," he said.

Councillor Tony Niland (Lab, Bowling) a member of the airport's consultative committee, welcomed the news. "These are extremely good figures considering the problems we have had in the industry," he said.