Putin’s ‘Flying Kremlin’ Triggers Global Frenzy: Why Russian President’s India-Bound Jet Became The World’s Most-Tracked Flight | World News

Putin Visit to India: The plane carrying Russian President Vladimir Putin became the most watched flight all over the world today and aroused great curiosity on the internet as it headed towards New Delhi. Flight Radar 24, which tracks aircraft around the world, showed how quickly the numbers are increasing.

“Currently our most tracked flight: one of the Russian government planes bound for India,” the platform wrote on X, adding that President Putin and Prime Minister Narendra Modi will meet in the capital for two days.

Putin arrived in New Delhi this evening and Prime Minister Modi personally welcomed him at the airport. The talks are expected to cover a wide range of issues, including defence, trade and long-term strategic planning.

A few hours before landing, flight observers noticed unusual activity involving two Russian aircraft. As one jet turned off its transponder, the other turned it on, creating a pattern that continued for a while. The transponder, which sends flight coordinates and other vital data to air traffic controllers, is an important tool in tracking aircraft movement.

For those familiar with Putin’s travel security, the increased interest comes as no surprise. The Russian president rarely embarks on an overseas trip without two powerful symbols that accompany him everywhere: the heavily armored Aurus Senat limousine and the presidential plane that has earned the nickname “The Flying Kremlin.”

The aircraft itself, the Ilyushin IL-96-300PU, is a specially designed version of the IL-96-300, a long-range passenger aircraft created by the Ilyushin Design Bureau in the 1980s. The model first took to the skies on September 28, 1988, and entered official service in the early 1990s. Over the years, the state-altered version has become an unmistakable emblem of Russian presidential travel.

Today’s extraordinary increase in global tracking activity was another moment when Putin’s plane attracted worldwide attention long before it touched down on Indian soil.