The usual hustle and bustle at Delhi's airport is missing nowadays as ticket prices are being hiked at regular intervals affecting passenger growth.

So when oil companies cut prices of Aviation Turbine Fuel (ATF) by 16 per cent, air passengers hoped that airlines will cut prices to make air travel more attractive but airlines say they would rather shore up their bottom lines.

Airlines say the cut of Rs 11,000 will reduce operating cost by around 7 per cent but they will still lose money.

SpiceJet for example expects to lose 60 paise per kilometre on every ticket it sells. On top of that airlines are still not sure for how long low ATF prices will continue.

The about to start  peak season for the aviation sector means that airlines are under no compulsion to pass on the benefits of cut in aviation turbine fuel prices.

But there is another reason many experts believe why prices won't come down, as there is not enough competition in the aviation sector and consolidation means that more and more airlines are acting in concert whether to maintain fares or even hike them.