The chief executive of Virgin Atlantic Airways said on Wednesday that more US carriers have to go out of air and the ticket prices must go up much more if the aviation sector is to endure historic high prices of oil.

Regulations barring foreign rights of carriers must also be dismissed if the US market is to come out of its fall, says the chief of the British carrier, which has been developing since its creation in the year 1984.

In an interview in New York, Steve Ridgway of Virgin, said, "Carriers are going to go out of business and need to go out of business. We can't just keep up this merry-go-round of propping them up".

Most analysts believe that the collapse of one or more large airline companies in the US would reduce rivalry and permit other carriers to hike the price of tickets.

But flexible US liquidation protection rules have until now permitted carriers to recover from financial difficulties while still flying. Where in other nations they might have stopped all of their operations?

Over the course of last six months, nine small carriers have collapsed or stopped flying, crushed by the rising of fuel prices.

Four of the major US airline companies have been through liquidation in the course of last 5 years, but all have continued to be in the business and some have even increased services-increased competition in the market and reduced fares.