Will fly for 17 hours continuously, has its own missile defense system; this is PM Narendra Modi’s flying palace

The Air India One flight is something that steals the limelight as much as Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his foreign visits. This VVIP plane, which has a lot of specialties, often becomes a hot topic of discussion.

Air India One is equipped with several modern safety features. India had acquired these VVIP aircrafts in 2020 replacing the ageing Boeing 747 with Boeing 777. Air India One has ‘Bharat’ written in Hindi on one side and ‘India’ in English on the other side. A national flag has also been displayed on the flight.

Let us learn about the special features of Air India One.

Ability to fly continuously for 17 hours

The aircraft’s biggest specialty is that it can fly continuously for 17 hours. During the QUAD summit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi did not have to make a stopover at Frankfurt in Germany. Rather, his flight, Air India One, had directly landed in the US.

The aircraft’s ability to fly for 17 hours continuously had made it possible. The aircraft has caught wide attention throughout its visits. Built with modern safety measures, Air India One is indeed a flying palace.

No need for hotel rooms anymore

When Modi arrived in Paris last Wednesday as part of his visit to European countries, Air India One had also made its mark in the city. Modi had visited Denmark as part of his European trip as well.

Even after hours of travel, Modi did not have to approach any hotel room for rest. The credit of the same goes to Air India One, as the prime minister can now take rest in the aircraft itself.

Air India One and Air Force One

In terms of safety and security features, Air India One almost matches the Air Force One, used by US president.

Air India One was built by the US company Boeing in order to cater the travel needs of the Indian Prime Minister. Boeing 777 was modified and turned into the current Air India One.

A total of two aircrafts were bought for catering to the travel needs of VVIPs namely Prime Minister Narendra Modi, President Ram Nath Kovind and the vice president.

Most modern safety features, cost Rs 8458 crores

The aircraft was brought to India after proper evaluation by senior officials from the Indian Air Force and Air India.

Around Rs 8458 crores were spent for the two aircrafts. The aircraft will be code-named Air India One when top leaders, including the Prime Minister, travel in it.

Earlier, the president, vice president and prime minister had travelled in India’s B747-400 aircrafts. These have been used by the VVIPs in the country for the past 25 years. The aircrafts were flown by Air India pilots.

Air India One will be the first Indian aircraft equipped with Self-Protection Suits (SPS) that can also jam the enemy’s radar signals. It has its own missile defence system, called the Large Aircraft Infrared Countermeasures (LAIRCM) and Self-Protection Suites (SPS) besides the state-of-the-art communication system.

Innovative technologies and facilities

Air India One aircrafts are equipped with innovative communication facilities such as VIP suits, two conference rooms, press briefing room and medical rooms. The flight has an economy class in the back side and a business class in the front.

It can fly at a maximum speed of 559.33 mph and is also able to refuel mid-air in the event of emergency.