U.S. Air Force Finishes Modifying Qatar-Donated Boeing 747 for Interim Air Force One Role

U.S. Air Force announced late Friday that it has finished modifying and testing a Boeing 747 jet donated by Qatar for temporary use as Air Force One. The service expects the aircraft to be ready for President Donald Trump to use this summer.

The jet is currently being painted red, white and blue. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth accepted the luxury jet from Qatar a year ago. President Trump defended the gift as a way to save tax dollars. He stated he wouldn’t fly around in the aircraft when his term ends and said the plane would be donated to a future presidential library.

The Boeing 707 used by President Ronald Reagan was decommissioned and put on display as a museum piece. The former Qatari jet will serve as a bridge until Boeing delivers a pair of new aircraft expected in 2028. The two planes currently used as Air Force One have been flying for nearly four decades.

President Trump displayed a model of a new jumbo jet in the Oval Office during his first term. The model had a revised paint scheme that echoed the red, white and dark blue design of Trump's personal plane. Boeing has been retrofitting 747s originally built for a now-defunct Russian airliner.

The Boeing program for new Air Force One planes has faced nearly a decade of delays. These delays include a critical subcontractor’s bankruptcy and the difficulty of finding and retaining qualified staff who could be awarded high-level security clearances. The Qatari plane cost $400 million.

The current Air Force One planes were built from scratch near the end of the Cold War. They are hardened against the effects of a nuclear blast and include anti-missile countermeasures. The planes also feature an onboard operating room and are equipped with air-to-air refueling capabilities, though they have never been used with a president on board.

The Air Force did not reveal the cost of the modifications to the former Qatari jet. Lawmakers suggested last year that the modifications could top $1 billion. Air Force officials leased a 747-8 freighter from Atlas Air between October and February so pilots could get familiar with the latest variant.

U.S. purchased two jets from the German carrier Lufthansa for training and spare parts. Boeing stopped building 747s in 2023. President Donald Trump boarded Air Force One at Ocala International Airport in Ocala, Florida, on May 1, 2026, after speaking at an event in The Villages, Florida.