The first of the two VVIP aircraft Air India One on which the President, Vice President, and Prime Minister will hop-on for their foreign or domestic visits, arrived in India on Thursday.
Air India One, which is the call sign of the aircraft, landed at the Delhi airport from Texas at 3.10 pm (IST).
The plane was scheduled to be delivered by aircraft manufacturer Boeing to Air India during August but the delivery was delayed due to technical reasons, news agency PTI reported quoting the officials.
"The Special Extra Section Flight (SESF) aircraft for country`s VVIP is arriving today at Delhi`s International Airport," sources in the government told ANI.
"A joint team of senior officers from National Carrier Air India, VVIP security personnel and senior government officials are on the way to the US to accept the delivery of the VVIP`s flight Air India One," top government sources had then told ANI.
The plane is equipped with Advanced Electronic Warfare Suites which will not only protect aircraft from any kind of attack from the surface to air but also will be able to take countermeasures in case of an attack.
The new aircraft can fly over 17 hours continuously without landing in between for refueling.
Due to the advanced communication system fitted in the aircraft, Prime minister or the President will be able to communicate with the relevant ground staff through video or audio conferencing without the worry of being hacked or taped.
The New Boeing 777-300ERs will be operated by pilots of the Indian Air Force (IAF) and not of Air India, as earlier.
The VVIP aircraft B-777 is a replacement of wide-body aircraft Boeing B-747 jumbo aircraft whose call sign is Air India One.
The interior design of the aircraft is very attractive, which was modified recently by Boeing, apart from other customisations.
"The aircraft has a big suit/cabin for the VVIP, a mini medical center has also been set up in the aircraft. It also has a standard space for the press. The rear seats are of the Economy class category while the rest of the seats are Business class. B777 aircraft can fly over 17 hours continuously," informed the sources.
Air India Engineering Services Limited (AIESL) will take care of the maintenance of the aircraft.The new Boeing 777 aircraft for VVIPs guest is also equipped with advanced defence systems and will be operated fully by IAF pilots in due course of time.
The colour of Air India Boeing 777 had been totally changed including changes to the design of the aircraft as per the recommendations and further approval by the Prime Minister`s Office (PMO).