The aging presidential aircraft will be replaced by a $400 million aircraft donated by Qatar, capping a contentious effort that raised ethical, legal and security concerns.
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Top White House officials on Thursday morning bade farewell to a jet that has carried U.S. presidents around the world for 35 years, as the Trump administration prepares to replace it with a Boeing 747 donated by Qatar to serve as Air Force One.
As President Donald Trump and his staff returned from France after 3 a.m. on Thursday morning, White House communications director Steven Cheung and White House Deputy Chief of Staff Dan Scavino posted photos of one of the highly customized, heavily fortified Boeing 747-200B jumbo jets that are called Air Force One when carrying the president.
“Well done, good and faithful servant,” Cheung wrote on X, captioning the photo as “The Last Ride.”
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The White House did not immediately comment on the transition, but the Air Force announced last month that the Qatari jet had completed modification and flight testing. The aircraft was scheduled to roll out in a new red, white and blue livery this summer, the Air Force said.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth accepted the $400 million jet as an unconditional “donation” to the Defense Department, which is responsible for its maintenance.
It was not immediately clear where Trump would travel on his first flight in the new plane. Trump is considering attending a fireworks display at Mount Rushmore in early July in celebration of the 250th anniversary of America’s founding, but the trip has not yet been finalized, according to a senior administration official.
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This is a developing story and will be updated.
Natalie Allison contributed to this report.
