New Delhi: The second of the two special Boeing 777 aircraft, part of the Air India One fleet for VVIPs including the President, Vice President and the Prime Minister, landed in the national capital on Sunday. The first aircraft arrived in India earlier this month.
This aircraft is one of the two Boeing 777-300 ERs, which joined Air India’s fleet in 2018. The special aircraft which offers meeting rooms, office space, as well as missile defence systems will only be used by President Ram Nath Kovind, Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. During the travel of the VVIPs, the two aircrafts will be operated by pilots of the Indian Air Force (IAF) and not of Air India.
The interior design of the aircrafts are very attractive, which was modified recently by Boeing, apart from other customisations. The modified Boeing 777-300ER will now replace the 747-400 for VVIP duties and the total cost of purchase and retrofitting the two planes has been estimated to be around Rs 8,400 crore.
Air India One, which is the call sign of any aircraft with the Prime Minister or President on board, has its own missile defence system called the Large Aircraft Infrared Countermeasures (LAIRCM) and Self-Protection Suites (SPS), which is capable of countering missile threats from an enemy.
The aircrafts are equipped with an advanced and secured communication system that allows availing audio and video communication functions mid-air without any worries of hacking or being taped.
“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,” said a report.
Earlier in the month of February, the US agreed to sell the two defence systems to India at a cost of USD 190 million.
(With Agency Inputs)