For the second time this month, state-owned oil retailers today raised aviation turbine fuel price by 2.44 per cent in step with firming global rates. Jet fuel, or ATF, rates in Delhi were raised by 961 rupees per kilo litre to 40,268 rupees per kl with effect from midnight tonight. PTI qouting an official of the Indian Oil Corp, the nation's largest oil firm, said that the rate hike comes on back of a 3.5 per cent increase on the first of this month when rates were raised to 39,307.07 rupees per kl. Last month ATF price were cut by 5.5 per cent on February 1 and 2.5 per cent on February 16. Jet fuel constitutes roughly 40 per cent of the operating cost of an airline and today's increase in fuel rates would put extra burden on Indian carriers. No immediate comments were available from airlines on the impact of the latest hike on airfares. IOC and sister PSU fuel retailers Hindustan Petroleum and Bharat Petroleum revise jet fuel prices on the first and the 16th of every month based on the average global oil price in the previous fortnight.