Donald Trump flies in new Air Force One, gift from Qatar

Washington: US President Donald Trump on Wednesday took the first flight in the newly refurbished Air Force One jet, previously owned by Qatar, which gifted it to be inducted in the presidential fleet of aircraft.

The red, white and navy blue livery of the Boeing 747-8i luxury jet replaces the robin's egg blue exterior of the old aircraft that ferried presidents since George H W Bush during its nearly 40-year tenure.

The tail of the aircraft features a wavy US national flag.


"For me, this is the first flight of what I think is maybe the greatest commercial plane ever built... to be honest with you, I'm excited about the first flight," Trump told reporters at the Joint Base Andrews near here as he travels to North Dakota to inaugurate the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library.

"They made it appropriate for a president. That means security and all of the different bells and whistles. They put on very complex stuff, but it's really quite something. And this is a plane that the United States of America should have. Our Air Force One was 35, 36 years old," the President said.

Trump had toured the aircraft at the Joint Base Andrews last month, when it was undergoing commissioning flights before its use to ferry the president.

"These are the new colours red, white, and blue. We liked the baby blue, but it was time for a change... I like the colour of the American flag," Trump said on June 20.

Trump said he sought the aircraft from the Emir of Qatar last year after becoming frustrated with delays to Boeing's Air Force One replacement programme and growing comparisons between the aging US presidential fleet and newer aircraft operated by foreign governments.

The Qatari jet will serve as a "bridge" aircraft to ferry the president until the new planes ordered directly from Boeing are delivered, most likely by 2028.

The Air Force said that any plane deemed Air Force One "must meet rigorous security requirements" and that the Qatari plane "was modified under a disciplined engineering approach that prioritised these exact core capabilities above all else"

Trump said the new Air Force One will do a flyover during the July 4 celebrations at the National Mall as America marks its 250th Independence Day.

The president said he will also take the new jet to the NATO summit in Turkey next month.

Trump's return from the Group of 7 summit in France on Thursday was the last planned trip aboard the old Air Force One.

"We are proud to deliver the VC-25B Bridge aircraft to the President," Air Force Chief of Staff Gen Ken Wilsbach said.

The Air Force has said in the past that security modifications to the jet would cost less than USD 400 million.

The delivery of the Bridge aircraft fulfills an imperative to relieve pressure on the aging VC-25A fleet as heavy maintenance cycles extend, safeguarding the continuity of presidential airlift operations until the long-term Boeing VC-25B enters service, the US Air Force said in a statement.