The Indian Air Force and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation are working on a master plan for effective airspace management in the country, which could see an expansion in the operations of scheduled civilian airlines.

"In three months, trials can begin at airports like Hyderabad and Bangalore where there is heavy traffic. We can expand the airspace by 15-20 per cent," the Chief of Air Staff, S Krishnaswamy, said.

He said air traffic controllers, both IAF personnel and their civilian counterparts, would together work out the finer details of the "flexibility of airspace management".

Krishnaswamy said a lot of airspace, which was lying unutilised now, could be used to enhance civilian air traffic. He added that small countries, like Singapore and South Africa, had succeeded in increasing air traffic considerably through such an exercise.

Earlier, the air chief briefed the media on the Air Race India 2003, the first-ever air race in India.

The race, scheduled for November 22 at Nagpur, will see small and light aircraft, as well as choppers, from different parts of the country as participants.

Speaking on the occasion, Minister of State for Civil Aviation Rajiv Pratap Rudy commended the Aeronautical Society of India and the IAF for its efforts towards the air race.