The US Air Force has completed modification and testing of the Boeing 747 Donated by Qatar to Temporary use Air Force One is expected to be ready for use by President Donald Trump this summer, the service announced late Friday.
The aircraft is currently being painted red, white and blue, the Air Force said in a news release.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth accepted the luxury plane a year ago despite questions about the ethics and legality of accepting an expensive gift from a foreign country, as well as concerns about security and electronic intelligence. Trump defended the gift As a way to save tax dollars.
Trump has said he will not travel by plane when his term ends. Instead, he said, the plane will be donated to a future presidential library, similar to how the Boeing 707 used by President Ronald Reagan was taken out of service and displayed as a museum piece.
Air Force officials said the former Qatari plane will serve as a “bridge” until Boeing is ready to deliver a pair of new planes, which is now expected to be in 2028.
The two planes currently used as Air Force One have been flying for nearly four decades, and Trump is keen to replace them. During his first term, he displayed a model of a new jumbo jet in the Oval Office, complete with a revised paint scheme that mirrored the red, white, and navy blue design of his personal plane.
Boeing has modified 747s originally built for a now-retired Russian plane. But the program has faced nearly a decade of delays due to a series of issues, including the bankruptcy of a subcontractor and difficulty finding and retaining qualified employees who can be granted top-level security clearances.
The new planes are not scheduled to be completed until near the end of Trump’s term, and he has run out of patience. He described the situation as “total chaos” and complained that Air Force One was not as nice as the planes flown by some Arab leaders.
The $400 million Qatar Airways jet has been described as a “palace in the sky”, complete with luxury accommodations and top-notch finishes.
But security is the primary concern when it comes to presidential travel. The current Air Force One was built from scratch near the end of the Cold War. It is reinforced against the effects of a nuclear explosion and includes a range of security features, such as anti-missile measures and an on-board operations room. It is also equipped with emergency air refueling capabilities, although it has never been used with a president on board.
It is not clear what capabilities were added to the previous Qatari plane. The Air Force has not disclosed the cost of the modifications, but lawmakers indicated last year that it could exceed $1 billion.
Air Force officials said they leased a 747-8 freighter from Atlas Air between October and February so pilots could familiarize themselves with the latest version. The United States also purchased two aircraft from the German airline Lufthansa for training and spare parts. Boeing will stop manufacturing the 747 in 2023.