Auckland Airport sees 11pc arrivals growth

Auckland International Airport processed more than seven million international passengers, excluding transits, in the last year. Photo / Brett Phibbs

Auckland International Airport, which is targeting Asian arrivals to stoke growth over the next decade, flagged an 11 per cent increase in international arrivals in the month of June over the same month last year.

The increase was so large because of the Chilean ash cloud that caused flight cancellations in June 2011.

The latest monthly update completes a full 12 months of AIA's financial year, in which it processed more than seven million international passengers, excluding transits, for the first time.

China and Australia led the growth, with the 66,098 increase in the number of Australian visitors in the 12 months to June 30 "the largest increase in visitors from a single country".

A total of 715,115 Australians passed through AIA over the 12 months, compared with 649,017 in the previous year.

For the June month, total international passenger movements, stripping out transits, totalled 536,297 in June from the same month a year earlier, the airport said in a statement. That was led by a 40.1 per cent surge in Chinese arrivals to 9,691 and a 20.3 per cent jump in Australian arrivals to 50,041.

Domestic passenger movements rose 14.6 per cent to 503,832 in June from the same month a year earlier.

There was strong domestic growth across the whole group with Queenstown Airport, of which Auckland Airport owns quarter, rising 52.4 per cent to 11,525.

Auckland airport also has stakes in Australia's Cairns and Mackay airports. Cairns reported a 7.9 per cent increase to 284,147 in domestic passengers, while international passengers fell 19.2 per cent to 47,166.

Mackay domestic passengers climbed 11.2 per cent to 97,055. International passengers dropped 7.6 per cent to 1,205.

Shares in Auckland Airport are up 1.9 per cent and are currently trading at $2.64.