SOUTHAMPTON Airport has soared to new heights after celebrating its second successive record-breaking month.

A landmark 200,000 passengers passed through the airport’s doors in August – an increase of three per cent on the same time last year and highest monthly footfall in seven years.

Traditionally August is the airport’s busiest month and the figures round off an impressive summer with the hub also handling 192,353 passengers the previous month, a 1.9 per cent rise on 2013, making it the busiest July since 2007.

The success comes less than two months after it was revealed the airport has been put up for sale by owner Heathrow Airport Holdings.

The route boasting the largest growth was Guernsey with an increase of 53 per cent more passengers.

The service – operated by both Blue Islands and Flybe – is set to boost its eight daily flights by launching an additional rotation next month.

A number of city break destinations also soared in popularity with the Manchester route witnessing 43 per cent rise in passengers over the year and Belfast (22 per cent), Dublin (32 per cent) and Amsterdam (19 per cent) also growing.

There was also expansion in French regional flights to and from Clermont Ferrand, Brest, Rennes, Limoges, Nantes, Bordeaux and La Rochele.

Airport marketing and communications director Jan Halliday said: “We have seen a three per cent growth in our passenger numbers in August 2014 versus the same month in 2013. It is also the first time that over 200,000 passengers have used the airport in one month since 2007.”