US President Donald Trump made his maiden flight aboard a retrofitted Boeing 747-8 on Wednesday, marking the debut of a new Air Force One. According to reports from AFP, the flight represents the first operational use of the $400 million aircraft gifted by Qatar. The retrofitted jet is intended to serve as a 'bridge' between the ageing Boeing jets that have served as Air Force One for 36 years and two new aircraft that are years behind schedule and not expected until at least 2027-2028. Before departing from Joint Base Andrews, Trump celebrated the occasion, stating 'This will be the first flight of what I think is maybe the greatest commercial plane ever built.' He declared: 'I'm excited about the first flight. They just completed it, they made it appropriate for a president – that means the security and all the different bells and whistles they put on – very complex stuff. But it's really quite something.'
The refurbished jet features a navy-blue belly with red and gold stripes in Trump's preferred colour scheme, along with plush carpets, lie-flat seats, wood panelling and a presidential seal on the seat belts. As reported by AFP, Trump told reporters he was proud of the luxurious plane, stating 'You can do two things: You can low-key it, or you can show it.' The aircraft does away with the light blue hull that has traditionally helped Air Force One blend into the sky, opting instead for a more visible design. White House communications director Steven Cheung posted photos showing the cabin interior, including large conference tables and leather seating. Trump told reporters: 'Frankly, we couldn't build a plane like this because we wouldn't be willing to spend the kind of money necessary. They spent top dollars.'
Trump toured the jet weeks after returning to the White House last year and directed that it be prepared for use for the remainder of his term. According to AFP, the compressed timetable limited the scope of modifications made to the plane. The absence of certain systems, along with a seemingly smaller number of communication antennas, suggests the jet is better suited to domestic use rather than international operations. The conversion of the Qatari Boeing 747 was estimated to cost $1 billion, with the White House insisting the aircraft required 'very little' taxpayer spending on upgrades relative to what it would cost if built differently.' The aircraft is expected to remain in service until the air force receives a new fleet of Boeing presidential aircraft in the next two years.
The emergence of the controversial gift last year sparked a firestorm of bipartisan criticism of Trump, intensifying conflict of interest fears. Democrats have criticized the gift as being the 'definition of corruption' and 'the definition of a conflict of interest.' Opponents argued that the expense of converting the aircraft could take funding away from Sentinel, the intercontinental ballistic missile modernization program that is already several years behind schedule. The projected cost of the two specially built aircrafts has increased from $3.7 billion to $5 billion. The donated Qatari jet, which Qatar had previously been unable to sell, has drawn widespread criticism as critics question the ethics of accepting such a gift from a country that has treated the US well.
