Donald Trump unveiled the VC-25B Bridge aircraft at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on Friday, showing a temporary Air Force One built from a gifted Qatari Boeing 747. The jet is meant to serve as an interim presidential aircraft until two long-delayed Boeing 747s arrive in 2027 and 2028.
Joint Base Andrews unveiling
Trump said accepting the aircraft was "stupid" to turn down and thanked the emir of Qatar at the hangar event. He also called it "the world’s most luxurious plane" and said it was built at a level that will probably never be seen again.
The aircraft carries the VC-25B designation and has been described as a $400m jet. The conversion cost has been put at $1bn, while the two purpose-built aircraft are said to have climbed from $3.7bn to $5bn. That spending gap is part of why the aircraft is being used as a bridge rather than as the final presidential plane.
Karoline Leavitt and Sean Parnell
Karoline Leavitt said the crew identified a "minor electrical issue" and turned one of the older presidential 747s back to Andrews after a trip to Davos, Switzerland, earlier this year. Sean Parnell said the secretary of defense has accepted a Boeing 747 from Qatar in accordance with all federal rules and regulations, even as the jet’s value far exceeds the unsolicited gift limit described in the source.
The air force fast-tracked the retrofitting, and Troy Meink said the safety and security of the commander in chief is the Air Force's highest priority. He also said the service meticulously evaluated every requirement to accelerate delivery while maintaining the standards expected of the presidential mission.
4 July over Washington DC
The new aircraft arrives two weeks before a planned formation flight over Washington DC on 4 July for the nation's 250th anniversary. Trump told the crowd at Andrews that the new aircraft will lead the "biggest flyover in American history," tying the unveiling to the next public use of the presidential fleet.
The older 747s entered service in 1990 during the presidency of George HW Bush, and the new bridge plane is now filling the gap until the replacement aircraft arrive in 2027 and 2028. A tour of the interior given to reporters on Friday showed a framed print of a duck swimming in the Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool.
