The start of an expanded winter flying schedule saw passenger numbers at Stansted Airport climb by more than a quarter last month.

Stansted saw its busiest November for eight years as a total of 1.59million passengers passed through its terminal, an increase of 25.9 per cent compared with 1.26m in the same month last year.

The figure took the airport’s rolling annual total to 19.76m, an increase of 11.2 per cent on the total of 17.75m for the previous 12 months.

Stansted owner Manchester Airports Group (MAG) said that the increase in the number of passengers during November was mainly the result of flight frequencies on many key routes across Europe being maintained, rather than being reduced as is often the case during the off-peak season.

The amount of cargo passing through the airport also increased, with November 2014 volumes representing a 15.8 per cent increase over the same month last year while total cargo tonnage for the past 12 months is 3.4% ahead year-on-year.

Andrew Harrison, Stansted’s managing director, said: “The significant increase in the number of passengers flying through Stansted reflects the growing confidence of our airline partners as many maintain summer flight frequencies and extend their peak flying schedules into the winter season.

“The very strong monthly performance and the double digit annual growth not only ensures Stansted remains the fastest growing airport in the London system but is also a clear demonstration that under MAG’s ownership, the airport is being successfully transformed so it can attract more passengers and airlines and play an increasingly vital role in providing important international air connectivity over the next two decades.”