Melbourne Airport continues to exhibit “solid international growth” with increased passenger numbers during August, according to Melbourne Airport chief executive Chris Woodruff.

International passenger numbers rose by five percent in August 2012, compared to August last year.

Mr Woodruff credited capacity increases as a basis for the sustainable growth.

“It’s clear that our international passenger growth has steadied from the double digit figures we saw 18 months ago but we continue to achieve solid international growth, particularly from key markets,” he said.

Chinese visitor numbers displayed durable growth, with passenger numbers up 17.5 percent over the same period last year.

“We’ll continue to work with our international airlines to boost capacity to support Victoria’s global connectivity and our appeal to visitors as a premier destination for major events, tourism, business and education,” Mr Woodruff said.

Domestic passengers increased by seven percent over last year’s August figures.

“For the third consecutive month we’ve achieved solid growth domestically,” Mr Woodruff said.

“Over the last month we’ve also seen domestic airlines announce capacity increases which will further help growth in this market.”