Kuala Lumpur, March 24:

Air travel in the Asia-Pacific region is off to a solid start, with passenger traffic growing 4.9 per cent in the first two months despite high oil prices, an industry group said Friday.

The Kuala Lumpur-based Association of Asia Pacific Airlines said its 17 member airlines flew 21.246 million passengers in January and February, up from 20,262 million in 2005.

In January, passenger traffic surged 6.4 per cent from a year ago to 11.08 million but growth eased in February to 4.9 per cent on-year to 10.166 million. For the two months, freight traffic expanded at an even faster rate of 5.3 per cent, it said.

“The combined results for January and February indicate a solid start to the year, with 4.9 per cent growth in the number of international passengers being carried by AAPA airlines,” association director-general Andrew Herdman said in a statement.

“Air cargo traffic is showing similar strength, with 5.3 per cent growth. Given a stable macroeconomic picture, and barring any unforseen shocks, the outlook for the Asia Pacific aviation industry remains positive.” In 2005, air travel in the region grew 5 per cent with AAPA member airlines flying a record 128 million passengers, compared to 121.9 million in 2004.