More fuel has been added to the argument that Heathrow Airport is in desperate need of expansion after new figures highlighted yet another upturn in passenger traffic in May.

The demand for flights from the London-based aviation hub has risen sharply in recent years and this trend continued last month, with 6.1 million people passing through the facility.

This was a 4.7 per cent increase on the corresponding month in 2012 and there was a particularly intense clamour for services to China and India, as well as European destinations, including Italy, France and Holland.

On the flip side, freight traffic continued to slide, with cargo movements falling by 4.3 per cent year-on-year. This, the airport stated, was consistent with wider global trends.

Some aviation experts want to see at least one new runway added at Heathrow, although there are plenty of others who oppose such plans.

Commenting on the latest figures, chief executive at the airport Colin Matthews said: "May saw another rise in the number of passengers travelling through Heathrow. More and more of them are being carried by newer, quieter aircraft which we incentivise to use the airport."