Czech Airlines - the first carrier to operate twice-daily non-stop flights between Birmingham and Prague - carried a record number of passengers last year.

The airline said it flew 4.34 million passengers during 2004, an increase of 21 per cent compared to the previous year.

No airline from the new EU member countries carried as many. Over the January-December 2004 period, the average seat load factor - a measure of how full its planes were - was 70.5 per cent.

"Last year, our dynamic growth overtook all airlines in the neighbouring countries and we stabilised our position in one of the most open markets, our home- base of Prague-Ruzyn airport," said Jaroslav Tvrd?k, the airline's president and chairman.

"I consider it to be a real success that the total operating revenues of Czech Airlines in 2004 exceeded those specified in the strategic plan by a billion crowns."

Compared with the planned figure of £457.2 million, the total operating revenues in 2004 were £481.6 million.

Transport revenues of Czech Airlines in 2004 were £418 million, an increase of 18 per cent in comparison with the previous year.

Charter transport revenues showed the highest growth, totalling £22.59 million and with a year-on-year increase of over 35 per cent. Cargo and mail revenues showed a yearon-year growth of 15 per cent.

A total of 22,735 tons of cargo and mail were transported overall and Czech Airline customers paid a total of £12.6 million in 2004 for cargo transport.