Vikrant Shekhawat : Oct 26, 2020, 09:41 AM
New Delhi: The second of the two Boeing-777 aircraft, which have been extensively modified for President Ram Nath Kovind, Vice President Venkaiah Naidu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, arrived in Delhi on Saturday, 24 October, reported Hindustan Times.The first of these aircraft landed in New Delhi on 1 October.A portion of the seats in the aircraft have been removed and customised to give the dignitaries office spaces, meeting rooms, and even a sleeping area on-board the flight.The two aircraft, 777-300 ERs, which joined the Air India fleet in 2018, were sent to the Boeing facility in Dallas, USA.The flights, which can fly non-stop to the USA, are the first set of dedicated aircraft for the three dignitaries. Earlier, aircraft were requisitioned from Air India every time any of the three needed to fly.The aircraft were earlier supposed to be delivered in August but the dates were pushed due to "operational reasons."The planes are equipped with self-protection suites (SPS) consisting of aircraft infrared countermeasures, advanced integrated defensive electronic warfare suite and counter-measures dispensing system to protect them from inbound missiles.