111 new planes for IA, Indian: Praful Patel

Varanasi, Sep 8 (UNI) Union minister of state for Civil Aviation (independent charge) Praful Patel today said the government will add 111 new planes to the Air India and Indian fleet.

Addressing a news conference here, Mr Patel said 111 planes will be added to the fleet at a cost of Rs 42,000 crore, as part of an ambitious plan to modernise civil aviation.

The minister said 35 airports located in non-metros, will be modernised, including Varanasi and 14 other airports, where work on facility upgradation will start before 2007.

''The work on upgrading navigation, instrumentation, lengthening of runway and extension of terminal building at the Varanasi airport will start before 2007,'' Mr Patel said adding, this was being done to give a filip to civil avaiation sector and promotion of tourism.

The Varanasi airport will be modernised at a cost of Rs 200 crore, he added.

Claiming a 50 per cent growth in air traffic in the country, Mr Patel said reduction in fares made air travel more affordable.

The NCP leader also informed seven new airports will come up at Navi Mumbai, Goa, Pune, Punjab, Kerala, Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim.

Airports at Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim would be constructed by the Airport Authority of India, while other airports would be developed by the civil aviation ministry.

Mr Patel also announced starting international chartered flights from religious and tourism hotspots, including Gaya, Amritsar, Varanasi and Jaipur in future.

UNI ARS VS CS HT2008