Hasimara (West Bengal), Nov 28: India will not build any new air base in the country's eastern sector, but will upgrade the existing ones for optimum utilisation, Indian Air Force chief Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha said here on Saturday.
He said there is a void in infrastructure development in the northeast and steps are being taken to rectify this.
"There is no expansion... We are not getting new bases," Air Chief Marshal Raha said in response to a question. "We are trying to revive the existing ones."
He added that the air force is also trying to operate from civil air fields.
Raha said India will not compete with Chi, and will build the infrastructure it requires.
"We will not build something because someone else is building something. We will build our infrastructure," he said.