Biting the consumers’ pocket once again, the aviation turbine fuel (ATF) prices witnessed a steep hike of 5.3 per cent on Monday. This is the 10th time that the ATF prices have been hiked this year. Jet fuel prices—which constitute 30 to 40 per cent of airlines’ operating costs, are revised on every 1st and 16th of the month. For the past nine months, the ATF prices have surged by Rs 49,017.8 per kilolitre (Rs 49 per litre), or nearly 55 per cent. According to a report by ICRA, the ATF prices have surged 93 per cent year-on-year in April. The development comes as the price of petrol and diesel have remained frozen since April 6 in the country.