The eagle lands, followed by decoy

MUMBAI: At about 11.30am on Saturday, the most recognized aircraft in the world, Air Force One, crossed over from Karachi air traffic control area and entered Indian airspace over the Rann of Kutch.

A little over an an hour later , at 12.48pm, the blue-and white Boeing 747-200 B made a surprise touchdown at the Mumbai airport by opting for Runway 14. This made it, perhaps , the first VVIP aircraft to have ever landed on the lesserused , smaller runway, which is shunned by some international airlines. Force One had been expected to land on the main runway, No. 27. A few minutes later, a decoy aircraft too touched down.

After landing, Air Force One taxied to Apron Lima, where Marine One, the US president’s helicopter and its decoy, along with three other US marine choppers, were parked. At a distance were CISF sniffer dogs, the bomb disposal squad, fire and rescue tenders, US secret service agents with dark glasses and walkie-talkies , and a crowd of CISF personnel and policemen.

The aircraft door opened at 12.54pm, but then several minutes of waiting followed as the step ladder took a bit of time to be aligned with the aircraft. Finally, at 1.02pm, the president and his wife Michelle Obama — in a grey dress — walked out holding hands.