Queenstown Airport has seen a 13.9% increase in passenger numbers to the year ending June 30, 2011, despite disruptions caused by the Chilean volcanic ash cloud.
The airport's monthly passenger update said the ash cloud bought the passenger volume below a targeted 940,000 to 924,248, but that was still 112,784 more than the year ended June 30, 2010.
A 49.7% lift in international passenger numbers, to 161,089, was a "significant driver" for the overall increase in passenger numbers, with the remaining increase coming from an 8.4% (59,267) lift in domestic volume.
March 2011 was the busiest month for domestic passengers in the past year, with 73,103 passengers recorded, up from 70,911 in March 2010.
Internationally, July 2010 was the busiest month, with 25,272 passengers, up from 19,153 in July 2009.
Overall, July 2010 was the busiest month with a total of 96,272 passengers moving through Queenstown Airport, compared with 74,232 in July 2009.
