January is a record-breaker for Monarch

Monarch saw a 24% increase in passenger numbers in January compared with January 2010, making last month its best ever start to a new year.

The airline had increased capacity by 20% year-on-year and its load factor was raised almost 2% to 78.74% for the month.

The airline said its new twice-weekly winter flights from Gatwick and Manchester to Majorca had boosted passenger numbers.

By Linsey McNeill