Boosted by the highest passenger totals on record for the month of October, Melbourne Airport has for the first time exceeded 27 million annual passengers.

The airport handled more than 2.5 million passengers in October, with international passengers increasing by 14.3% over the same month in 2009 to reach 532,046.

The strong international performance was driven by increased travel to and from Asia, led by Malaysia and Thailand, which went up 42.7% and 41.9%, respectively.

These figures are set to rise with the entry of new airlines such as Air India and Royal Brunei Airlines, which will be launching their services in the coming months.

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