Aviation

Custom-made B777 plane for VVIP travel arrives India : Air India One

Custom-made B777 plane for VVIP travel arrives India : Air India One : India on Thursday (October 1, 2020) received its much awaited new generation of VVIP aircrafts at the Delhi International Airport from Boeing’s facility in the US. The VVIP Boeing 777-300 ER duo will be used by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, President Ram Nath Kovind and Vice President Venkaiah Naidu on their official tours to countries abroad

First of the two retrofitted Boeing 777-300 ER aircraft ordered by the Indian government, landed at the Delhi airport on Thursday afternoon. It was earlier expected to land on Indian soil from the Boeing facility at Fort Worth, Texas in July but the delivery was delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Custom-made B777 plane for VVIP travel arrives in India

Indian Air Force One (if AI is privatised) aircraft will be equipped with “large aircraft infrared countermeasures (LAIRCM) self-protection suites (SPS) for an estimated cost of $190 million”. The US State Department has approved the ‘foreign military sale’ of two B777 LAIRCM SPS.

Boeing had delivered the two B777 300 extended range (ER) to Air India in January 2018. The airline sent these two to Fort Worth in Dallas last summer for being retrofitted with the latest security and communication systems so that they can replace the over 26-year-old jumbo jets used by the president, VP and PM for long international flights. The two are with Boeing Defence for retrofitting with the latest security and communication systems. The two planes were expected to be in India by July 2020. Due to technological issues, the delivery date was deferred by more than a month. First of these aircrafts arrived in New Delhi on 1 October 2020

Related Topics:Air India one B777 aircraft

Aviation

Airbus Enhances A350 Cabin with 10-Abreast Seating

Airbus has announced a new partnership with Jiatai Aircraft Equipment, a Chinese aircraft seating manufacturer, to supply upgraded economy-class seats for the A350 widebody series.

This collaboration, unveiled at the 2024 Airshow China, focuses on developing a newly designed economy seat tailored for the A350‘s New Production Standard (NPS) cabin.

One of the key features of the NPS cabin is the ability to accommodate 17-inch wide economy seats, compared to the previous 16.5-inch wide seats that airlines were limited to in the A350’s earlier configurations.

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This change is made possible by the expanded space in the NPS cabin, which is 35 inches longer and 4 inches wider than the previous version. This extra space is achieved by slightly moving the cockpit wall forward and shifting the rear pressure bulkhead back by one frame.

The wider cabin allows airlines to add up to 30 extra economy seats without compromising comfort. For airlines opting for a 3-4-3 seating layout, the 17-inch wide seats are an excellent choice for a more comfortable passenger experience. However, some airlines, such as Iberia, may choose to retain a 9-abreast layout with wider seats for added comfort.

The NPS cabin also offers enhanced flexibility for airline operators. One major advantage is the ability to easily switch between a 9-abreast and 10-abreast seating configuration without requiring significant downtime for aircraft reconfiguration. Airlines can use the same seat rails, tracks, and IFE interfaces, making the transition smoother and quicker.

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In addition, the design of the floor attachments and air-conditioning systems has been optimized for 10-abreast seating, meaning airlines can upgrade their cabins without needing to make substantial modifications to the aircraft’s structure.

Though it’s still unclear when Jiatai’s economy-class seats will be officially added to the A350’s Buyer Furnished Equipment (BFE) catalogue, the collaboration marks a significant step toward enhancing the A350’s cabin offerings.

With this partnership, Airbus is providing more seating options for airlines, ensuring that they can meet diverse customer needs while improving overall operational efficiency.