The U.S. Air Force said late Friday that it has finished testing and modifying a Boeing 747 donated by the government of Qatar and will have the jet ready to serve as President Donald Trump’s temporary Air Force One by this summer. The plane is currently being repainted red, white, and blue, the service said in a news release.
The decision to accept the luxury aircraft, valued at $400 million, was made a year ago by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. It immediately drew questions from congressional overseers and ethics specialists about whether a presidential transport could legally be accepted as a gift from a foreign nation, and about what security vulnerabilities a commercial‑derivative airframe might introduce.
The two current Air Force One jets — Boeing 747s that have been flying for nearly four decades — were built from scratch near the end of the Cold War with extensive hardening against the effects of a nuclear blast, anti‑missile countermeasures, an onboard operating room, and air‑to‑air refueling capability. The Air Force has not disclosed which of those capabilities were added to the former Qatari plane. Air Force officials also did not reveal the cost of the modifications, but lawmakers suggested last year that the price could exceed $1 billion.
Trump has publicly defended the gift as a way to save tax dollars. He has also said he does not intend to fly in the aircraft after his term ends; the plane would instead be donated to a future presidential library. The president has shown little patience with the long‑delayed program to build two new Air Force One jets under Boeing. He has described the situation as “a total mess,” and he has complained that the current presidential planes are less luxurious than those flown by some Arab leaders.
Boeing’s replacement program has faced nearly a decade of delays from a cascade of problems, including a critical subcontractor’s bankruptcy and difficulty finding staff who could obtain high‑level security clearances. The new planes are not expected until 2028 — near the end of Trump’s term. In the meantime, the Air Force described the Qatari jet as a “bridge” that will allow the president to travel while the new aircraft are finished.
The $400 million plane has been called a “palace in the sky,” with top‑of‑the‑line finishes and luxurious accommodations. Trump displayed a model of a redesigned Air Force One during his first term that featured a paint scheme echoing his personal aircraft, and the new plane’s red, white, and blue livery is part of that effort.
To prepare for the modified jet’s introduction, the Air Force leased a 747‑8 freighter from Atlas Air between October and February so that pilots could gain familiarity with the latest variant. The U.S. has also purchased two additional 747s from Lufthansa for training and spare parts; Boeing stopped building the four‑engine jumbo jet in 2023.