Trump unveils new Air Force One, a gift from Qatar

Subscribed with another email? Logout and Login with that one. Account subscription benefits alongside Premium Stories, Editorials, Opinions and more. Unlock these with Subscription The View From India Looking at World Affairs from the Indian perspective. First Day First Show News and reviews from the world of cinema and streaming. Today's Cache Your download of the top 5 technology stories of the day. Science For All The weekly newsletter from science writers takes the jargon out of science and puts the fun in! Data Point Decoding the headlines with facts, figures, and numbers THEdge At the cutting edge of education and careers Health Matters Ramya Kannan writes to you on getting to good health, and staying there Gender Agenda Stories from beyond the binary. The Hindu On Books Books of the week, reviews, excerpts, new titles and features. Published - June 20, 2026 01:10 pm IST - Washington, D.C. U.S. President Donald Trump delivers a speech as he stands in front of the VC-25B aircraft gifted by Qatar that will be used as Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, U.S., on June 19, 2026. | Photo Credit: Reuters U.S. President Donald Trump unveiled a newly refurbished Air Force One jet, previously owned by Qatar, which is set to start commissioning flights before it begins ferrying the president early next month. 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 has ferried presidents since George H. W. Bush during its nearly 40-year tenure. President Donald Trump speaks after touring the newly designated Air Force One presidential aircraft at Joint Base Andrews, Md., on June 19, 2026. | Photo Credit: AP The tail of the aircraft features a wavy U.S. national flag. “The biggest difference is the difference in size. It’s like virtually double the size,” Mr. Trump said at a brief ceremony at the Joint Base Andrews near here, which serves as the home for the presidential aircraft. “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,” Mr. Trump said. The U.S. Air Force said that the aircraft will soon begin “commissioning flights”, its “final exam”, before the plane can be used to transport the President. Mr. Trump said he sought the aircraft from the Emir of Qatar after becoming frustrated with delays to Boeing’s Air Force One replacement programme and growing comparisons between the aging U.S. presidential fleet and newer aircraft operated by foreign governments. “I asked the Emir if we could use the brand new 747,” Mr. Trump said, noting the aircraft had relatively few flight hours. “See, a normal president wouldn’t do this. A normal president wants to stay away from aircraft. But our country has to be represented properly,” Mr. Trump said. 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”. Mr. 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. Mr. Trump’s return from the Group of 7 summit in France on Thursday (June 18, 2026) 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 $400 million. The delivery of the Bridge aircraft fulfils 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 U.S. Air Force said in a statement. Donald Trump / USA / Qatar / air transport Copyright© 2026, THG PUBLISHING PVT LTD. or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. Terms & conditions | Institutional Subscriber Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments. We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.

Trump unveils new Air Force One, a gift from Qatar

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Trump unveils new Air Force One, a gift from Qatar

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