The Centre is planning to set up 12 new Greenfield airports across the country to accommodate growing air traffic. Announcing this at the 49th Directors General of Civil Aviation Conference in New Delhi today, Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh said, new airport facilities are also ready for commissioning in Chennai and Kolkata very soon.

He also announced that the final operational phase and certification process of air navigation system GAGAN is expected to be completed in June next year. He said, it would bring India on the threshold of redefining navigation in the Asia-Pacific region from land based to satellite based system.

The Minister informed that nearly 50 other non-metro airports would be modernised within the next two years. Mr Singh expressed the hope that the country will achieve a double digit growth in air traffic in the next few years, which is presently 9 per cent.

Citing the country's sensitivity to the current environmental issues and its commitment to reduce environmental impact of the rapid growth in aviation, the Minister said that Air India is about to complete a total fleet replacement programme of 120 new aircraft.

He said that the major airports including Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai and Kolkata are remodelled incorporating the latest environmental friendly technology.

The Minister said, the government is committed to promote aviation safety and security and will support all the initiatives of the International Civil Aviation Organisation in this regard.