President Donald Trump is personally shopping for a new aircraft for presidential transport as Boeing delays grind on for the next-generation Air Force One jet ordered during Trump’s first term.
Angry At Air Force One Delays From Boeing, Trump Personally Examines Qatari-Owned 747
In 2018, President Trump ordered the next-generation jet for presidential transport (called Air Force One when the president is traveling on it) from Boeing, a pair of modified 747-8 jets.
Those aircraft were supposed to have been delivered already, but in February Boeing told the White House that delivery may be delayed as late as 2029, which would mean delivery would even not come during Trump’s non-consecutive second term.
The President is not happy about the delay and has taken it upon himself to work on finding a suitable alternative option.
To that end, Trump recently personally examined a Qatari-owned 747 that he believes could become the future presidential aircraft. The aircraft, registration number P4-HBJ, touched down in West Palm Beach, Florida on February 15, located a short distance from Trump’s Mar-a-Logo retreat. According to White House logs, Trump spent 72 minutes onboard the aircraft.
Once used by the Qatari Royal Family, the aircraft interior resembles Trump’s opulent penthouse in Trump Tower in New York City. That aircraft already features a $200 million missile defense system from Northrop Grumman (the ability to deflect certain incoming missiles with a high-powered laser).
The current aircraft used to transport the US president, a pair of modified 747-200 aircraft first delivered during the George H. W. Bush administration in 1990, are now 35 years old.
Asked about the Boeing delays after his inspection of the Qatari 747-8, Trump said:
“I’m not happy with Boeing. We may do something else. We may go and buy a plane.”
Boeing has noted that it is working with Elon Musk and the so-called Department of Government Efficiency to find ways to speed up delivery of the aircraft.
CONCLUSION
With rolling delays on the next-generation presidential transport, President Trump is fuming and looking at other options. Boeing blames the delay on classified communication and weapons systems, which the Qatar 747-8 the President examined does not have.
Will the US buy a used jet to upgrade Air Force One or will the 747-200s keep flying for another generation?
top image: White House
Trump doesn’t realize that even buying an existing aircraft will require a significant amount of time to install equipment (comms, etc.) before it can be used.
“Dave” oh please for heavens sake how many planes has BA produced since Trump ordered the replacement 7 years ago? As for the lame excuses from BA they’re just that LAME. Why not go to AB they seem to be able to deliver maybe a 350?
To sum it up Boeing has had sufficient time to build several specified birds.
The planes are already built. The last 747 was built at the end of 2022 and delivered. The delays are due to a continuing government mandated changes and that Boeing needs employees with high security clearances to install certain hardware. Trump only cares about the opulence not that the plane can function as a high security replacement white house.
The planes that Trump purchased during his first presidency were unused pre-owned 747-8’s from a defunct Russian airline. There’s a great documentary by Nat Geo that talked at length about how it would’ve been easier to build them to spec rather than deconstruct and re-wire existing planes. Boeing’s CEO said he felt pressured to accept the planes and the price that was negotiated. Boeing was also on its heels with the 737MAX crisis and ongoing issues with a few sub-contractors. I don’t believe the previous 747’s or the 707 from the Kennedy era had any budget restrictions.
Though I’m quite sure the Qatari plane is quite luxurious and some security features, I imagine there would be the same hiccups with an existing shell and an insufficient amount of security protocols for a POTUS.
@Dave
He is well aware. He owns many planes. Even owned an airline. It went bankrupt!! Just beating you to the punch.
And he accomplished it in a few short months!
All the Qatari plane is missing is a Clinitron bed.
Au contraire… It has multiple ‘master’ bedrooms already, one for each wife in the harem. Perfect for Big Orange and his ‘escorts’…
What a man-child.
I’m sure Trump owes someone in Qatar a favor because there’s no reason we wouldn’t consider a new aircraft specific to the unique needs of AF1.
The downfall of Boeing will be taught in business courses for generations.
Somebody call the whambulance. Isn’t United selling some old 757s ? I’ll kick in for some gold spray paint. Or at least we should put a replacement out for the lowest bid.
I think a lot of people are not happy with Boeing – and sounds like for all the same reasons?
Just downgrade to a used 737-800 and assign war powers to JD Vance when the AF One 737 is airborne.
Those that like the current 747 livery should know that the new 747 doesn’t have the same livery. Biden made changes but may have forgotten.
?
Heh?
Trump made the ex-TWA/US Air design but I thought Biden reverted to classic design.
Maybe he shouldn’t have picked Boeing to make the next generation fighter jets.
Trump is angling for a deal from his bud on a brand new Tu-204
I don’t care about the politics. Up to 11 years from date of order for delivery. That’s just nuts. We all should know that an asset that sits without use just deteriorates. It’s nature. Some components will have been installed but unused for years.
Steve is right and Trump is right to question this. The question is are the delays due to government gold-plating or Boeing incompetence or both.
Either way, the new plane is getting close to obsolete before it even goes into service. That’s worth being pissed off.
The delay is primarily due to the stupidity of the administration that made the order, since they insisted on reusing two unfinished frames originally meant for Transaero. The talking point was ‘efficiency’, except of course it’s infinitely more complicated to repurpose an already built commercial airlines than to build a highly specialized aircraft from scratch.
This is the correct answer.
Guess who sees a grift in Qatar? This is a big surprise….
Brave man asking Boeing to find ways to speed up delivery while keeping costs down
We saw how that has worked on on the max
Seriously, they do not have another option, The only other VLA manufacturer is Airbus and they will never buy that
Since this is an import what will the tariff be?
I though his whole thing was made in America
cause that’s the way to get quality products.
He can use his personal 757 while waiting. I’m sure he would rent it to the government for only a million a day or so.
How about an ‘unmodif1ed’ 737MAX for immediate delivery ?
Sounds like it’d be easily accomplished given Boeing’s culture & priorities….
Aww geez. The disillusioned voters for Cackles.. Matthew brings them out once again…in what shouldn’t be a political post.
Oh wait… I was wrong….he said “Trump”. He does know how to get those clicks.
BTW tell us again..Matthew….how much is Canadian air traffic to the US down by?
70%,? 80%, 90%? Or more?
What is MSNBC telling you to report today?
Swallow some Fox-tail and you will feel better. Love Maryland
Matt, have you ever been to the National Museum of the US Air Force in Dayton? If not, worth a visit if you are ever near there. They have Sam 26000, Kennedy’s AF1 and several other AF1’s. I think they will get one of the 747-220 AF1 once they are out of service.
Maybe they should have chosen a 777-300er or 777-9 for the new Air Force One. Not quite as big as the 747-800, but do they really need all that room?
Have not but look forward to doing so.
Convicted Criminal Trump should make his peace with Boeing, I doubt Airbus would want to sell him anything, they have standards. Maybe his mate Putin has something he could use.
and to top it off, the dark colors that Trump wanted to be painted around the fuselage are too dark for various “technologies” to work efficiently. That’s why the bottom half of the current plane is silver or light colors.