The U.S. Air Force says it has finished modifying and testing a Boeing 747 jet donated by Qatar for temporary use as Air Force One and expects it to be ready for President Donald Trump to use this summer, the service announced late Friday. The jet is currently being painted red, white and blue, the Air Force said.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth accepted the luxury jet a year ago despite questions about the ethics and legality of accepting an expensive gift from a foreign nation, and concerns about security and cyber intelligence. Trump defended the gift as a way to save tax dollars and has said he would not fly in the aircraft after his term ends, instead donating it to a future presidential library similar to how Ronald Reagan’s Boeing 707 was later displayed.
Air Force officials said the former Qatari jet will serve as a “bridge” until Boeing delivers a pair of new aircraft, now expected in 2028. The two planes currently used as Air Force One have been flying for nearly four decades, and Trump has pushed to replace them. During his first term he showcased a model of a new jumbo jet with a revised red, white and dark blue paint scheme similar to his personal plane.
Boeing has been retrofitting 747s originally built for a now-defunct Russian airliner, but the program has faced nearly a decade of delays caused by issues such as a critical subcontractor’s bankruptcy and difficulty finding and retaining staff who can receive high-level security clearances. The new planes aren’t due until near the end of Trump’s term, prompting his criticism of the process as “a total mess” and complaints that Air Force One isn’t as lavish as some Arab leaders’ planes.
The $400 million Qatari plane has been described as a “palace in the sky” with luxurious accommodations and high-end finishes. But security is the primary concern for presidential travel. The current Air Force One planes were built near the end of the Cold War and are hardened against a nuclear blast, include anti-missile countermeasures, an onboard operating room, and air-to-air refueling capability for contingencies, though refueling has never been used with a president aboard.
It is unclear which of those capabilities were added to the former Qatari jet. The Air Force did not disclose the cost of the modifications; lawmakers suggested last year that expenses could top $1 billion. To prepare crews, the Air Force leased a 747-8 freighter from Atlas Air between October and February so pilots could familiarize themselves with the variant, and it purchased two jets from German carrier Lufthansa for training and spare parts. Boeing ended 747 production in 2023.
