New Delhi: The delivery of VVIP Boeing-777 aircraft, which will be used to fly Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has been deferred again for few more days due to technical issues in the aircraft.
"A team of senior officers from Air India, IAF and security agencies which had gone to the US to complete formalities and bring the aircraft to India has found technical issues and it needs to be rectified by Boeing," sources told ETV Bharat.
Another source aware of the development said that this often happens during the acceptance of the aircraft and if there are some small technical issues then they (Boeing) might not take much time in the delivery process.
The two Boeing 700-300s were scheduled to arrive India by June 30 and July 30 but due to the COVID-19 pandemic the delivery of VIP aircraft had got delayed and it was scheduled to arrive by Monday.
These planes were taken from Air India's fleet in 2018 and were sent for modifications at Boeing's facility in Dallas (USA) for VVIP travel, by the President, the Vice-President and the Prime Minister.
The three dignitaries - who presently fly in Air India's Boeing-747 planes that have the capability of flying for only 10 hours - will now be flying in the refurbished B777-300ER, which can fly for 17 hours non-stop.
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The new plane Air India One is equipped with most advanced sophisticated technologies, military defence systems and reconfigured cabin. These highly customised aircraft includes Self Protection Suites (SPS) and Large Aircraft Infrared Countermeasures (LAIRCM) dispensing system which allows the aircraft to detect and jam incoming missiles.
The cost of these two aircraft is estimated at around Rs 8,458 crore.
As per the leaked pictures of the refurbished B777-300ER, the plane features India written in English and Hindi on both sides, along with the national emblem in the centre.
The officials confirmed that the aircraft will be operated by the Indian Air Force (IAF) pilots and not Air India. After their arrival, these planes will be de-registered by Air India and handed over to the IAF.
