Air India One: Know about India’s most advanced Boeing 777 aircraft for PM Modi, President and VP

The first of two Boeing 777 aircraft that Air India has received will be used to fly the President, Vice-President and Prime Minister of India for their international state visits. So far, the three top leaders of the country have been using Air India’s Boeing 747 planes for their travel. It is to note that Air India has been taking the Indian Presidents and Prime Ministers on Boeing 747 planes for nearly 25 years. The new introduced aircraft will have its own call sign ‘Air India One’. The two modified aircrafts cost around Rs 8,400 crore.

Air India One- Salient features

• The aircrafts, operated under the name of Air India One, are equipped with missile defence systems. These include Large Aircraft Infrared Countermeasures (LAIRCM) and Self Protection Suites (SPS). 
• LAIRCM will have missile warning sensors, control interface units, a laser transmitter assembly and processors that will detect, track, jam or counter an infrared missile incoming towards it. 
• With the latest features, Air India One is now considered to be on par with Air Force One that is used to fly the President of the United States.
• The aircraft designed for VVIPs boast of an advanced communication system that can connect audio/ video with top-tier security which can be used mid-air.
• In the aircraft, there are two conference rooms, a VVIP suite, a room for press briefing, a secure communication room with network jammers and a medical room.

Notably, as the new aircrafts arrive, the Boeing 747 which has been serving the Indian leaders for 25 years will be phased out. Air India One, on the other hand, will be operated by the Indian Air Force. While one of the two Boeing 777 planes has arrived in New Delhi on October 1 this year, the second one is expected to come in the next few months. The Indian President, Vice-President and Prime Minister can start flying in these aircrafts from July 2021, according to reports.