For years, America has been waiting for a new Air Force One. For years, Boeing has been working on it… So on Friday, Donald Trump unveiled something entirely different instead.
The US president invited reporters aboard a former Qatari royal jet that’s been transformed into a temporary Air Force One while the official replacement programme remains stuck on the runway.
The aircraft, a Boeing 747-8, has been refitted in less than a year and is expected to fill the gap until Boeing’s long-delayed replacements finally arrive.
Trump unveiled the aircraft at Joint Base Andrews, where he made it clear he was really rather pleased with the finished product.
‘There will never be one like this,’ he said. ‘This is considered the world’s most luxurious plane.’
The aircraft arrives after several years of delays to America’s next generation Air Force One programme.
The replacement fleet was originally expected much sooner but has repeatedly slipped, with the latest estimates suggesting the new aircraft won’t enter service until at least 2028.
Trump acknowledged the frustration himself, telling reporters: ‘We were in a little bit of a logjam.’ That left the White House looking for another option.
The answer came in the form of a former royal aircraft from Qatar that’s now been heavily modified for presidential use.
A Marine Corps general involved with the programme said work only began last August and told reporters he’d never seen a conversion completed so quickly.
Outside, the jet immediately looks different from the presidential aircraft Americans have become used to seeing.
The familiar light blue Air Force One colour scheme has gone, replaced by a dark navy underside, a bold red stripe and a giant American flag across the tail.