AIC24WC became the most tracked flight in the world on June 3, as per Flight Radar 24. Real-time data from the flight tracking portal showed over 5,252 users closely monitoring the journey of AIC24WC. (More Cricket News)
But what is AIC24WC and why are so many people so interested in it? Here is everything you need to know about this flight.
AIC24WC stands for Air India Champions 24 World Cup, the special chartered plane that brought the Indian trophy winning side back from Barbados to New Delhi.
Indian team defeated South Africa in a thrilling final at the Kensington Oval of Bridgetown in Barbados last Saturday. The team was supposed to leave a day after their victory but hurricane Beryl disrupted their plans.
A nationwide lockdown was announced as the powerful Category 5 storm brought heavy winds and destruction to the Caribbean island. The Bridgetown airport had to be shutdown.
Once the airport resumed operations, BCCI arranged a special chartered flight called AIC24WC to bring the players, their families, support staff and a few board officials back to the country.
After a delay in departure, the flight left Barbados June 3 afternoon IST and reached New Delhi around 6 AM in the morning on June 4.
That it became the most tracked plane during this time showed the love of fans towards the Indian cricket team.
The World Cup winning team is now set to be felicitated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi after which it will leave for Mumbai. In Mumbai, the team will participate in an open bus victory parade to celebrate the victory. After that the team members will participate in a ceremony at the Wankhede Stadium.
India's triumph in the Caribbean was India's first ICC trophy in almost last 11 years and the first T20 World Cup victory after a gap of 17 years.
