BIRMINGHAM International Airport handled 523,354 passengers last year, 0.6 per cent fewer than it did in October 1995, according to figures released yesterday.

Aer Rianta and NatWest Ventures are hoping to complete a deal before the end of the year under which the two companies, in a joint venture, will take a 40 per cent stake in the airport. No figures have been revealed for the price of the stake, but sources have suggested around £45 million might be involved.

The latest figures show that while scheduled traffic rose by 4 per cent, this was offset by a continued reduction in the summer holiday sector.

The scheduled flights which showed an increase were Paris (plus 23 per cent), Amsterdam (plus 20 per cent), Frankfurt (plus 11 per cent) and Brussels (plus 7 per cent).

"These figures are reflective of increased frequency, demonstrating the demand to fly from Birmingham to these points as destinations and also to use them as hub airports to connect with worldwide destinations," a spokesman said.

Increases were also seen on the transatlantic routes. A total of 16,729 passengers used the daily Chicago and New York/Toronto services in October.

The drop in the charter holiday sector was 6.5 per cent when compared with October of the previous year. This compared with an overall drop in Britain of such traffic of 12-14 per cent.