<p>Residents of Hubli were in for a surprise on Sunday to see for the first time a big aircraft landing at the airport. <br /><br /></p>.<p>The Rajdooth aircraft, which is used for the service of VVIPs such as the President, the Vice President and the Prime Minister, was brought to the City as part of a security check in view of Vice President Hamid Ansari’s visit to the city on February 13. <br /><br />Officials of the Indian Air Force (IAF) were in the City to gather vital information and the landing of the aircraft was kept a secret for security reasons, sources said.<br /><br />Meeting <br /><br />The IAF officials held a meeting with the airport authorities on January 29, inspected the aerodrome and decided to land the Boeing -737 aircraft at the airport on a trial basis. <br /><br />Airport Director K M Basavaraju confirmed the landing of the aircraft, but refused to divulge details. <br /><br />The Hubli airport does not have the spacious airfield required for big aircraft. The runway has a capacity for aircraft weighing 29 to 30 tonnes, while Rajdooth weighs 57 tonnes. <br /><br />The IAF bough t Rajdooth, built on the lines of the Business Boeing Jet used exclusively by the US President, along with a Rajhans aircraft and another Rajdooth aircraft, at a cost of Rs 950 crore each, three years ago from the US. <br /><br />The aircraft is equipped with missile-proof, VHF communication and other advanced security features. The 46-seater can fly 41,000 feet above the ground at 450 naut (800 kmph).</p>
<p>Residents of Hubli were in for a surprise on Sunday to see for the first time a big aircraft landing at the airport. <br /><br /></p>.<p>The Rajdooth aircraft, which is used for the service of VVIPs such as the President, the Vice President and the Prime Minister, was brought to the City as part of a security check in view of Vice President Hamid Ansari’s visit to the city on February 13. <br /><br />Officials of the Indian Air Force (IAF) were in the City to gather vital information and the landing of the aircraft was kept a secret for security reasons, sources said.<br /><br />Meeting <br /><br />The IAF officials held a meeting with the airport authorities on January 29, inspected the aerodrome and decided to land the Boeing -737 aircraft at the airport on a trial basis. <br /><br />Airport Director K M Basavaraju confirmed the landing of the aircraft, but refused to divulge details. <br /><br />The Hubli airport does not have the spacious airfield required for big aircraft. The runway has a capacity for aircraft weighing 29 to 30 tonnes, while Rajdooth weighs 57 tonnes. <br /><br />The IAF bough t Rajdooth, built on the lines of the Business Boeing Jet used exclusively by the US President, along with a Rajhans aircraft and another Rajdooth aircraft, at a cost of Rs 950 crore each, three years ago from the US. <br /><br />The aircraft is equipped with missile-proof, VHF communication and other advanced security features. The 46-seater can fly 41,000 feet above the ground at 450 naut (800 kmph).</p>
