Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport announced today that passenger traffic in August was 5.31 percent higher than a year earlier (from 7,941,881 in 2010 to 8,363,543 in 2011). International passengers increased by 9.87 percent — from 878,302 to 964,977.

August marks the eighth month in a row that passenger traffic rose at the world’s busiest airport. From January to August 2011, total passenger traffic increased by 4.20 percent over the same period last year — from 59,747,544 to 62,256,428.

“It’s very encouraging to report eight consecutive months of rising passenger numbers for both domestic and international travel,” Aviation General Manager Louis Miller said. “We anticipate continued growth during 2011 as we focus our energies on being the global leader in airport efficiency and customer service excellence.”

Aircraft operations (landings and takeoffs) decreased by 2.75 percent during the eight-month period — from 638,944 to 621,377 aircraft operations. Airlines’ reduced use of smaller regional aircraft accounted for most of this decrease. International operations increased by 11.44 percent.

Total air cargo for the first eight months increased by 2.15 percent — from 429,050 to 438,286 metric tons; international air cargo increased by 0.66 percent.