New Delhi: A custom-made B777 aircraft ‘Air India One’, which will be used to fly the President, Vice President and Prime Minister, has arrived in Delhi from the US today after a 15-hour flight from Worth Airport in Texas. The B777 plane is having state-of-the-art missile defence systems called Large Aircraft Infrared Countermeasures (LAIRCM) and Self-Protection Suites (SPS).
The plane’s delivery was scheduled by the aircraft manufacturer Boeing to Air India in August, but the delivery was delayed due to technical reasons. According to the officials, another custom-made B777 plane for the travel of VVIP is likely to be received from Boeing later. The total cost of purchase and retrofitting the two planes has been estimated to be around ₹ 8,400 crore, officials said.
Currently, the President, Vice President and Prime Minister, fly on Air India’s B747 planes, which have the call sign Air India One. Air India pilots fly these B747 aircraft for the dignitaries and the Air India Engineering Services Limited (AIESL) maintains them.
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