The first specially modified Boeing 777 aircraft, part of Air India One’s fleet for Prime Minister Narendra Modi, will arrive in New Delhi on Thursday, officials familiar with the development said.
“The first of the two Boeing jets will land in New Delhi at 3:00 pm on Thursday,” said a senior Aviation Ministry official.
The delivery of the aircraft was delayed for more than a month due to “operational problems,” authorities said.
“The delivery of the aircraft was scheduled for August 25, but has been delayed due to certain operational problems. It took a few weeks to deliver, ”said another senior government official, requesting anonymity.
Also read: New planes to fly PM Modi, president to have self-protection suites
The Center had dispatched a team of senior officials from the Indian Air Force and Air India to escort the plane back to India and assess technical requirements, a second official said.
Air India had sent a pair of Boeing 777 jets to a Boeing facility in Dallas to be refitted for VVIP travel.
The government has planned to acquire two specially modified Boeing-777 jets, capable of countering missile threats with its own missile defense system, called Infrared Countermeasures for Large Aircraft (LAIRCM) and Self-Protection Suites (SPS).
The modified aircraft is set to match the Air Force One of the President of the United States in terms of security measures.
Air India One is the call sign of any aircraft with the President or Prime Minister of India on board. The aircraft is operated as a VVIP flight by the Indian Air Force.
The new long-haul aircraft will be used exclusively by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, President Ram Nath Kovind and Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu.
Currently, the three dignitaries fly Air India’s Boeing 747 aircraft that the state airline deploys on commercial flights. These are temporarily reconfigured for dignitaries when they need to travel, and the call sign changes to Air India One.
The Boeing-747 planes that are rented from Air India for use by the three dignitaries are two decades old.
The modified aircraft will also have “Bharat” and India written on it, along with the Ashoka emblem.
The new aircraft have been configured to provide generous office space, meeting rooms, a wide range of communication systems and a section for handling medical emergencies. The plane can fly between the US and India without having to stop for refueling.
.
