Air Force One begins commissioning flights, final step before presidential use
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Nearly two weeks after a red, white and blue paint job, Air Force One was delivered to the Presidential Airlift Group.The Qatari-donated Boeing VC-25B Bridge aircraft arrived at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, and will begin its initial commissioning flights, the U.S. Air Force announced Friday.“Fresh from receiving its new red, white, and blue livery and the final government modifications, the aircraft has entered service to provide critical, secure continuity for the commander in chief,” the release reads.The Air Force announced the interim presidential aircraft is on track for its summer delivery in May. The move to use the aircraft donated by Qatar followed President Donald Trump’s dissatisfaction of Boeing’s delay to replace the current Air Force One aging planes with the new VC-25B aircraft.The initial timeline for the replacements was 2024, but a lack of properly cleared workers and supply chain issues pushed the date back to 2028.The delivery of the Bridge aircraft is meant to relieve pressure on the aging fleet until the long-term VC-25B enters service, the release says.The aircraft underwent security modifications to ensure it was suitable for a president, and Secretary of the Air Force Troy Meink told lawmakers in June 2025 that it would cost less than $400 million to modify.For the modification’s “final exam,” it must complete commissioning flights that allow White House officials to validate mission-capability and finalize protocols required for the president’s safe and secure transportation, the statement says.Once the flights are completed, then the aircraft is considered officially “commissioned” into the active executive airlift fleet and will be available for the president’s use alongside the VC-25A and C-32 fleets.The Air Force has not clarified the specific type of security modifications the aircraft completed, but the service did note in the announcement that it was altered in a “disciplined engineering approach” that prioritized rigorous safety r