President Donald Trump boards Air Pressure One at Ocala Worldwide Airport, in Ocala Fla., Friday, Could 1, 2026, after talking at an occasion in The Villages, Fla.
Matt Rourke/AP
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Matt Rourke/AP
The U.S. Air Pressure has completed modifying and testing a Boeing 747 jet donated by Qatar for momentary use as Air Pressure One and expects to have it prepared for President Donald Trump to make use of this summer time, the service introduced late Friday.
The jet is at present being painted pink, white and blue, the Air Pressure stated in a information launch.
Protection Secretary Pete Hegseth accepted the luxurious jet a yr in the past regardless of questions concerning the ethics and legality of accepting an costly present from a overseas nation, in addition to considerations about safety and cyber intelligence. Trump has defended the present as a solution to save tax {dollars}.
Trump has stated he would not fly round within the plane when his time period ends. As an alternative, he stated, the aircraft could be donated to a future presidential library, just like how the Boeing 707 utilized by President Ronald Reagan was decommissioned and placed on show as a museum piece.
Air Pressure officers stated the previous Qatari jet will function a “bridge” till Boeing is able to ship a pair of latest plane, which is now anticipated in 2028.
The 2 planes at present used as Air Pressure One have been flying for practically 4 many years, and Trump is keen to interchange them. Throughout his first time period, he displayed a mannequin of a brand new jumbo jet within the Oval Workplace, full with a revised paint scheme that echoed the pink, white and darkish blue design of his private aircraft.
Boeing has been retrofitting 747s initially constructed for a now-defunct Russian airliner. However this system has confronted practically a decade of delays from a sequence of points, together with a vital subcontractor’s chapter and the issue of discovering and retaining certified employees who might be awarded high-level safety clearances.
The brand new planes aren’t attributable to be completed till close to the top of Trump’s time period, and he is out of persistence. He has described the scenario as “a total mess,” and he has complained that Air Pressure One is not as good because the planes flown by some Arab leaders.
The $400 million Qatari aircraft has been described as a “palace in the sky,” full with luxurious lodging and top-of-the-line finishes.
However safety is the first concern in terms of presidential journey. The present Air Pressure One planes had been constructed from scratch close to the top of the Chilly Struggle. They’re hardened towards the consequences of a nuclear blast and embrace a spread of safety features, akin to anti-missile countermeasures and an onboard working room. They’re additionally outfitted with air-to-air refueling capabilities for contingencies, although they’ve by no means been used with a president on board.
It isn’t clear which capabilities had been added to the previous Qatari jet. The Air Pressure didn’t reveal the price of the modifications, however lawmakers instructed final yr that they might high $1 billion.
Air Pressure officers stated they leased a 747-8 freighter from Atlas Air between October and February so pilots might get conversant in the newest variant. The U.S. has additionally bought two jets from the German provider Lufthansa for coaching and spare elements. Boeing stopped constructing 747s in 2023.
