Gatwick Airport has released its passenger figures for April as part of its ongoing campaign to build a second runway.

Last month saw nearly 3.2 million passengers travel through the nation’s second biggest airport, a 0.6% increase from last year.

It is the first time the airport has handled more than 3 million passengers in April and it says this is the 26th consecutive month where traveller numbers have grown.

Stewart Wingate, the airport’s CEO, said: “Our record run of growth proves yet again the benefit of having a network of competing airports in the South East.

“However investment can only take us so far with our growth strategy. Now is the time for a final decision on extra runway capacity.

“Decades of debate must now turn to action. The fact remains, a new runway at Gatwick can be delivered quicker, cheaper, more simply and at a fraction of the overwhelming environmental costs that face Heathrow."

Routes on the North Atlantic saw the biggest growth, with 152,000 travelling on them.

That is an increase of 8.2% and is mainly down to the launch of Norwegian’s low-cost transatlantic flights in July last year.

In Europe the biggest route was to Barcelona, with 113,200 people travelling to the Spanish city last month.

That is a 0.2% increase.

In terms of long-haul flights, Dubai remains the busiest long-haul route out of the airport.

The airport is treating this as the second campaign boost in four days.

On Friday the Airports Commission reopened its public consultation to focus on air quality.

Heathrow Airport is struggling to meet EU regulations on pollution while Gatwick says it is having no such issues.

This consultation will run until midday on Friday, May 29.

Mr Wingate said: “It is highly significant that the first decision by the Airports Commission after the election is to consult on the issue of air quality.

"It shows that the issue has now become fundamental to the choice that lies ahead.

“It is an issue that cannot be ignored. The area around Heathrow currently breaches legal air quality limits, while Gatwick has never breached legal air quality limits and our location means we never will.”

The Gatwick Area Conservation Campaign (GACC) disputes Mr Wingate's view.

EU law states that air quality status should be maintained where it is already good, or improved.

The GACC argues that doubling the number of aircraft at Gatwick, plus the potential for up to an extra 100,000 cars and commercial vehicles using the site each day, would worsen air quality.

Furthermore, all eleven MPs elected for the constituencies around the airport do not support a second runway.

Brendon Sewill, GACC chairman, said: "This solid bloc of eleven anti-runway MPs will make it difficult for the new Government to push through a new Gatwick runway without the support of some minor Parties but the Lib Dems, UKIP and the Greens are all opposed."