Last year has been declared a record breaking year for Lufthansa with the highest number of passengers carried to and from the UK & Ireland in the airline’s history.

The 2011 figure of 4,151,363 shows an increase of almost 12 per cent on the figures for 2010.

The biggest increase was Scotland where the new service between Aberdeen and Frankfurt helped increase passenger numbers by over a quarter.

There were other significant increases in passenger figures for Dublin (+19.49 per cent) and Birmingham (+18.65 per cent).

Announcing the record year, Christian Schindler, Lufthansa’s general manager UK & Ireland, said: “Our passenger growth out of the UK & Ireland in 2011 proves that the vast majority of travellers still want the added value they receive from a full service airline.

“They know when they book with Lufthansa the price they pay includes the option to check-in online or at the airport, the ability to take a reasonable amount of luggage and they also enjoy good quality food and drink on board the aircraft, with no hidden extra cost.

She continued: “We have reaffirmed our commitment to the UK & Ireland by starting the new service from Aberdeen to Frankfurt and announcing new services to Berlin from both Birmingham and Manchester as part of a major investment at the new Berlin-Brandenburg “Willy Brandt” Airport which is due to open in June 2012.

“As well as offering passengers quick and easy access to many of the main German cities we continue to ensure that our flights to and from the UK & Ireland offer the shortest possible onward connection times to our worldwide network through our main hubs of Frankfurt and Munich as well as our developing mini-hub at Dusseldorf.”

Overall in 2011, a total of 106.3 million passengers chose to fly with the airlines that make up the Lufthansa Group - Lufthansa, SWISS, Austrian Airlines, bmi and Germanwings - a new record showing growth of 7.5 per cent compared with the previous year.

Lufthansa was last year recognised as Europe’s Leading Airline by the prestigious World Travel Awards.