GANDHINAGAR: The Russia-Ukraine war appears to have cast a faint and fleeting shadow over UK PM Boris Johnson’s visit to India which began in Gujarat on Thursday.
At the request of the advance British liaison team which arrived three days before, the Indian government is learned to have replaced the Russian-built Mi-17 helicopter with an American Chinook to ferry Johnson between Gandhinagar and UK construction equipment manufacturer JCB’s plant at Halol near Vadodara, according to senior protocol officials.
The government hurriedly brought in a 30-seater Chinook from the IAF base in Chandigarh to fly Johnson from the secretariat helipad to Halol — a 20-minute ride — and back, officials said. The Chinook reached the state capital after a six-hour flight on Wednesday, they added.
It is unclear as to whether the request for a change of chopper was for security reasons, or because of the US-led alliance’s escalating efforts to boycott all things Russian.
