Passenger numbers at International Airlines Group have continued to increase following the merger of British Airways and Spanish flag-carrier Iberia.

The airlines jointly carried a total of 4.5 million passengers in June, compared with some 4.4 million in June 2010.

This represents a rise of 3.8 per cent.

Premium traffic at the airline grew by 25.2 per cent in June when compared to the previous year, with 6.7 per cent growth in non-premium traffic.

This is likely to boost half-year profits, with figures set to be released on July 29th.

In June 2011, IAG traffic measured in Revenue Passenger Kilometre rose by 9.2 per cent to 14.5 million.

IAG did, however, warn, the statistics have been positively impacted when compared to last year when British Airways was hit by strike action by cabin crew.

“Underlying revenue trends are in line with previous months, with demand continuing to show firm underlying growth particularly in the long haul premium segment,” read an IAG statement.