In September, passenger numbers had risen 5.8 percent and were up 6.0 percent for the first 10 months of the year, the Association of Asia-Pacific Airlines (AAPA) said in a statement.

Asia-Pacific airlines filled 72.7 percent of available seats in October, down two percentage point from last year.

“In October we saw slower growth in travel demand,” said AAPA director-general Andrew Herdman.

“The burden of high oil prices is clearly having an impact, both directly in terms of higher fuel bills, and indirectly in the form of slower global economic growth.”

Oil prices stayed above US$60 a barrel in October after hitting an all-time high of US$70.85 on August 30 after Hurricane Katrina hammered the heart of US oil production in the Gulf of Mexico region.

Prices have since fallen below US$60 but analysts are predicting another rally as the northern hemisphere winter drives up demand for heating oil in the United States and Western Europe – the world's biggest energy consumers.

Cargo traffic measured in freight tonne kilometers increased 2.0 percent in October, with capacity keeping pace by rising 1.9 percent. Airlines filled 69.7 percent of available cargo space, unchanged from a year ago, AAPA said.