The Government of India has decided to construct a new aircraft facility in Delhi for VVIP aircraft used by the president, vice president and prime minister.
The 28-acre facility is planned for construction at Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi and will accommodate Boeing 777 wide-bodied aircraft.
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Indian news agency ANI quoted a government official as saying: “The new 28-acre facility is planned to be raised at the IGI airport where the new aircraft with call sign Air Force One would be kept and maintained.”
The Ministry of Civil Aviation, Indian Air Force, Delhi International Airport and GMR Group are in talks to establish the facility.
The Boeing 777 aircraft is being built in Boeing’s American facility. The aircraft will be equipped with self-protection systems for combating missile and other attacks.
Indian Air Force pilots, who are being trained by Air India, will operate the aircraft. Air India already uses Boeing 777s for its flight operations.
The aircraft are scheduled to arrive in the country by mid-2020.
Officials from the Indian Air Force have visited the Boeing facility for an update on progress.
The aircraft will be given military classification as they feature missile protection suites and are owned by the Indian Air Force.
In August, Delhi International Airport announced plans to invest Rs98bn ($1.38bn) to expand Indira Gandhi International Airport.
This June, Airports Authority of India (AAI) and Boeing signed an agreement to create an air traffic management plan to improve the efficiency of national aircraft operations.
Last year, Delhi International Airport announced that it will ban single-use plastic products at Indira Gandhi International Airport, aiming to make it plastic-free.
