Air India One’s Boeing 777 300 ER to be used to fly VVIPs, such as President, Vice President and PM, lands in Delhi. By Tanvi Jain
#WATCH: VVIP aircraft Air India One that will be used for President, Vice President & PM arrives at Delhi International Airport from US.
It is equipped with advance communication system which allows availing audio & video communication function at mid-air without being hacked. pic.twitter.com/4MtXHi8F9O
— ANI (@ANI) October 1, 2020
Custom made Boeing 777-300 ER aircraft finally made a landing at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport, from Texas, United States, at 03:00 pm on October 1. The aircraft will be used to fly the President, the Vice President and the Prime Minister, and will be a part of Air India One fleet.
The landing of this aircraft was followed by a small welcome ceremony in the presence of Air India Chairman and Managing Director Rajiv Bansal, representatives from the Ministry of Civil Aviation, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation and the Indian Air Force, and some other senior officials.
Air India One Inside Images of The first of two retrofitted Boeing 777-300 ER aircraft ordered by the Indian government for use of PM, President and Vice President arrived in India on Thursday. #TheYouthPlusNews @AjayKauljourno @Maverick_bharat @KalitaAbhinav1 @DesiEscobar4 pic.twitter.com/v8fqlNnpwr
— First Breaking News of Jammu & Kashmir ???????? (@TheYouthPlus) October 2, 2020
Earlier, it was supposed to be delivered in July, however, amid the COVID-19 induced global lockdown, the delivery was postponed first till August, then for a couple of weeks more due to some technical issues.
“VVIP aircraft Air India One that will be used for President, Vice President & PM arrives at Delhi International Airport from the US. It is equipped with an advance communication system, which allows availing audio & video communication function at mid-air without being hacked,” ANI tweeted.
Meanwhile, another custom made B777, which will also be used for VVIP travel is supposed to be received sometime later. The officials have reportedly estimated the total cost of two planes to be around INR 8,400 crores.
“Air India One” for VVIPs arrives
Scheduled international passenger flights suspended till October 31“Air India One”, first of the two retrofitted Boeing 777-300 ER aircraft ordered by the Indian government, for use of PM, Presidenthttps://t.co/95I4zMEZRo pic.twitter.com/Ga84xJ4ZkF
— Imphal Times (@ImphalTimes) October 3, 2020
Large Aircraft Infrared Countermeasures (LAIRCM) and Self-Protection Suites (SPS) — a state-of-the-art missile defence system, and advance communication system to allow mid-air audio and video communication without the fear of being hacked, are some of the features that these special aircrafts are equipped with. Other features include two conference rooms, a VVIP suite, a patient transfer unit, a press briefing room, secure video telephony and soundproofing.
Moreover, the aircrafts will be flown not by Air India but by the Indian Air Force (IAF) pilots too and will be maintained by Air India Engineering Services Limited (AIESL). Currently, the President, VP and the PM will fly on Air India’s B747 planes, which have an Air India One call sign.
Related: Where Will Air India’s Latest ‘Flights To Nowhere’ Take You?
