Mumbai: Fearing that airlines in India might go bust like 24 carriers in the US did last year, domestic airliners are pushing for a consumer protection programme that will help passengers get compensation if any carriers close down overnight.

"Going by the price rise in aviation turbine fuel, it is increasingly becoming difficult for airlines to survive. India does not have any law in place to protect passengers who hold tickets of a company that has shut down," said Kapil Kaul, CEO, Indian subcontinent and Middle East, Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation.

Sources associated with the Federation of Indian Airlines (FIA) said that at least one airline closing down by the end of 2009 could not be ruled out. "A meeting of the FIA, which is scheduled sometime in August, is expected to discuss the issue," a senior GoAir executive said. A Jet Airways official said that the airlines favoured the US plan where a passenger who holds a ticket of an airline that goes bust is automatically adjusted in other specified flights at highly discounted rates.