The Boeing 747-8 jet gifted by Qatar was originally manufactured as a Boeing Business Jet and delivered in April 2012. Despite it being around 14 years old, the plane has only logged about 800 hours of flight time, with Trump describing it as practically brand new.
US President Donald Trump on Thursday used his old Air Force One plane to leave Turkey after attending the NATO summit, and not the new Qatari-gifted and retrofitted jet, on which he had flown to Ankara. According to US media reports, the red, white, and navy blue new Air Force One flew without the President to Britain, where Trump is expected to make a stopover.
This was the first international flight of the ‘new’ Air Force One, the $400 million luxury Boeing 747-8 jet, gifted by the Qatari royal family.
Trump said on his Truth Social network he was sending the new jet to Mildenhall airbase so that service members would have a “chance to tour the Aircraft.”
“Everybody is so excited, and we thought that they should be the first. For old time’s sake, we’ll be taking the former Air Force One, from Turkey,” Trump added.
New Air Force One not as secure as old
While no official explanation has been given for the surprise switch, it coincides with the renewed hostilities between the US and Iran, following the breakdown of the ceasefire deal.
According to a New York Times report, the switch was made at the request of the US Secret Service “as a security precaution.” It should be noted that though the retrofitted jet underwent extensive security and communication upgrades between September 2025 and June 2026, it is not at par with the old Air Force One.
New York Times, citing unnamed sources, reported that the new plane lacks some capabilities of the old plane, but that the switch was not made because of a specific threat.
What Trump said
When asked about the threats, Trump sidestepped safety questions but pointed out that he was the subject of previous alleged assassination attempts by Iran.
“I speak about it a lot because the life of a president is very dangerous,” he said.
Later, aboard the new Air Force One, Trump told a reporter, “you’re probably on a dangerous flight because of the sleazebags we have to deal with” — an apparent reference to Iran, who he went on to refer to as “sick people.”
Asked if he was aware of a credible threat from Iran, Trump only said, “I have a threat all the time. I’m number one on their list.”
Qatar’s $400 million gift
The Boeing 747-8 jet gifted by Qatar was originally manufactured as a Boeing Business Jet and delivered in April 2012. Despite it being around 14 years old, the plane has only logged about 800 hours of flight time, with Trump describing it as practically “brand new”.
It is being used as a “bridge” aircraft while custom Boeing presidential planes are delayed due to technical challenges and cost overruns. The original Air Force One has been in service since 1990 and is expected to be replaced by two brand new Boeing Air Force Ones later this decade.
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Nancie Drews