Putin's 'Flying Kremlin' Was World's Most-Tracked Plane En Route India

The aircraft carrying Russian President Vladimir Putin was the most tracked flight in the world earlier today, according to Flight Radar 24.

"Our most tracked flight now: one of the Russian government aircraft en route to India. Russian President Putin and Indian PM Modi are scheduled to meet over two days in Delhi," the aircraft tracker said in a post on X and its website.

Putin landed in New Delhi this evening. Prime Minister Narendra Modi received him at the airport. The two leaders will discuss a range of matters, from defence to trade.

Two aircraft were spotted earlier. While one turned off its transponder, the other turned it on, and the cycle continued. A transponder sends aircraft coordinates and other key flight information to air traffic controllers.

Our most tracked flight now: one of the Russian government aircraft en route to India. Russian President Putin and Indian PM Modi are scheduled to meet over two days in Delhi. https://t.co/Q5GikRN1Vd pic.twitter.com/DcbA9wFYrF

— Flightradar24 (@flightradar24) December 4, 2025

As one of the world's most heavily protected leaders, Putin rarely travels without two symbols of Russian state power: his Aurus Senat armoured limousine and his highly customised presidential aircraft, the Ilyushin IL-96-300PU, widely known as the "Flying Kremlin."

It is a modified version of the IL-96-300, a long-range, four-engine Russian airliner developed in the 1980s by the Ilyushin Design Bureau. It first flew on September 28, 1988, and entered service in the early 1990s.