PM Modi drops candid picture mid-flight to America; reveals what long flights mean to him

On Wednesday evening, Prime Minister Narendra Modi took to his verified Twitter handle and dropped a picture of himself enroute to Washington DC. In the picture, PM Modi can be seen sitting in the Air India One-B777 aircraft going through copious files laid out on the armrest next to him. PM Modi, who embarked on a critical and high-level official visit to the US earlier in the day, is set to land at the American capital at approximately 3:30 am (IST) on Thursday. 

Captioning his post, the Prime Minister wrote 'A long flight also means opportunities to go through papers and some file work.' keeping true to his reputation as an administrator who works long hours.

In the US, the PM will be partaking in numerous engagements, including a meeting with the business heads of Qualcomm, Adobe, Blackstone, General Atomics and First Solar, as well as bilaterals with the heads of state of the US, Japan, Australia & the UK - apart from the two mega-events on his agenda - the first-ever in-person meeting of the Quad leaders, and his address at the UN General Assembly.

While he was on Air India One, the Prime Minister's statement at US President Biden's Global COVID summit was also broadcast, wherein he stressed upon the need for mutual recognition of vaccine certificates. He had also said that the world needs to focus on addressing the 'economic effects of the pandemic' and for this purpose, the 'international travel should be made easier through mutual recognition of vaccine certificates.'

All about Air India One - India's pride in the skies

PM Modi on Wednesday boarded Air India one for Washington for his 5-days visit to the United States. His aircraft, Air India One, is equipped with an advanced and secured communication system that enables audio and video communication functions mid-air without any worries of hacking or being taped. VVIP B-777 was inducted as a replacement for the wide-body Boeing B-747 jumbo jet which was till that time used for India's President & Prime Minister. 

Additional features include the capability of countering missile threats with its own missile defence system, called the Large Aircraft Infrared Countermeasures (LAIRCM) and Self-Protection Suites (SPS), which the US agreed to sell at a cost of USD 190 million. The modified B777 aircraft is built to match the US President’s Air Force One in terms of security measures.

On Wednesday, the PM will be attending Individual meetings with the Global CEOs at 7:15 p.m (IST). On the same day, he will also be taking part in a bilateral meeting with Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison at 11 p.m (IST). On September 24, at midnight, he will be partaking in a bilateral meeting with Vice President Kamala Harris, after which he is set to attend yet another bilateral meeting with Japan's Prime Minister, Yoshihide Suga.

(Image: Twitter/@narendramodi)