Second Boeing aircraft for Prez, PM arrives

The second specifically modified Boeing 777 plane, a part of the Air India One fleet for VVIPs together with the President, Vice President and the Prime Minister, landed on Sunday.

The plane can fly between the US and India with out having to cease for refuelling.

The first modified plane had arrived on October 1 after being delayed by greater than a month; officers had cited sure “operational issues” with the plane.

The two plane – Boeing 777-300 ERs – had joined Air India’s fleet in 2018 and had been despatched to a Boeing facility in Dallas for customisation.

The Centre had despatched a group of senior officers from the Indian Air Force and Air India for escorting the plane again to India and assessing the technical necessities.

The authorities has deliberate to obtain two such specifically modified Boeing-777 plane, able to countering missile threats with their very own missile defence system, referred to as the Large Aircraft Infrared Countermeasures (LAIRCM) and Self-Protection Suites (SPS).

The US Defense Security Cooperation Agency, which had notified the US Congress about its determination to promote the defence system earlier this yr, had put its value at about $ 190 million.

The modified plane are set to match the US President’s Air Force One by way of safety measures.

Air India One is the decision signal of any plane with the President or Prime Minister of India on board. The plane is operated as a VVIP flight by the Indian Air Force.

The new long-haul plane will likely be used completely by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, President Ram Nath Kovind and Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu.

At current, the three dignitaries fly Air India’s Boeing 747 planes that the state-run airline deploys on industrial flights. These are briefly reconfigured for the dignitaries when they should journey, with the decision signal altering to Air India One.

The Boeing- 747 planes which are chartered from Air India to be used by the three dignitaries are twenty years outdated.

The modified plane may also have ‘Bharat’ and India written on them together with the Ashoka emblem. The new planes have been configured to supply beneficiant workplace house, assembly rooms, a big selection of communication techniques and a bit for dealing with medical emergencies.