Previously,
Air India One was one of two dual-use civilian
Air India Boeing 747-400s. In 2016, two
Boeing 777-300ERs were purchased as SESF (VVIP transport). The new aircraft, with specially designed liveries, entered service in October 2020, replacing the Boeing 747-400s operated for the missions by
Air India. Unlike the 747s which were
commercial aircraft, the newly inducted aircraft are military vessels formally owned and operated by the
Indian Air Force. They bear no
Air India markings and have no commercial dual-use. However, under a special contract, they will be maintained by Air India Engineering Services Limited (AIESL), which has experience maintaining the Boeing 777 series aircraft for Air India's commercial fleet. The aircraft are fitted with encrypted satellite communication facilities and advanced
navigation aids, an advanced
missile warning system, a missile deflecting shield and
electronic countermeasures so as to provide protection from any ground-based or airborne threats and flares and glares for misleading the missile. They are capable of long-range travel removing the need for
air-to-air refuelling (which is a feature on the
VC-25As though they have not been used at all in their service) . The 777-300ERs’ onboard electronics include about 238 miles of wiring (twice the amount found in a normal 777). The heavy shielding is crucial to protect the wiring and crucial electronics from the
electromagnetic pulse associated with a nuclear blast. BBJ 737, which was used as Air India One for domestic and short-distance travels before Boeing 777-300ER (India One) At a Boeing facility in
Fort Worth, Texas, two ex- Air India aircraft (VT-ALV and VT-ALW, now registered as K7066 and K7067 respectively) were specially outfitted with missile defence and countermeasures dispensing systems, including large aircraft infrared countermeasures
(LAIRCM) self-protection suites (SPS). On India One flights, the President is designated as
VIP-1, the Vice-President as
VIP-2, and the Prime Minister as
VIP-3. The BBJs have a four class configuration. For VIPs 1, 2 and 3, an executive enclosure in the aircraft includes an office and a bedroom. All other passengers aboard India One are required to wear colour-coded identity cards at all times. Members of the official delegation (at the rank of
Joint Secretary to the Government of India and above) are tagged in purple and sit in first class. Personnel of the
Special Protection Group are also tagged in purple to provide proximate security to the Prime Minister, and may carry close combat weapons for the duration of flights. Accompanying officials (passengers of rank below Joint Secretary) are tagged in pink, and sit in business class equivalent seats. Support staff, including cooks and butlers, and other security personnel (not including the
Special Protection Group) are tagged in red, while journalists in the press pool are tagged in yellow. Both red and yellow-tagged passengers sit in economy class equivalent seats. While
Union ministers and senior staff officers of the Indian Armed Forces may use smaller aircraft for official travel, the 777-300ERs are exclusively used by the President, the Vice-President and the Prime Minister of India. Additional
Indian Air Force VIP Aircraft such as the
B737 BBJ and
ERJ-135 are also used by many government dignitaries (including the Prime Minister) for domestic and international medium-haul travel. == List of other VIP aircraft used by the Government of India ==