One of the two primary Air Force One Boeing 747s – tail 29000 – has just taken its last flight flying the President of the United States now that Donald Trump has returned from the G7 meeting in France. White House communications director Steven Cheung posted about “The Last Ride” the plane will make and
White House deputy chief of staff Dan Scavino posted “Well done, good and faithful servant.”
The aircraft, Boeing 747-2G4B MSN 23825, was first flown on October 29, 1987. It was delivered to the Air Force on December 20, 1990. This is the plane that was used to move President George W. Bush on 9/11.
"Well done, good and faithful servant.”
The Last Ride. pic.twitter.com/YGNCDvjRSB
— Steven Cheung (@StevenCheung47) June 18, 2026
I have been fortunate to fly around the world on this iconic plane for 5 1/2 years — of the 35 years it has been serving U.S. Presidents…
THANK YOU…
AIR FORCE ONE 2900🫡🇺🇸🦅 pic.twitter.com/tnh8xYtZDU
— Dan Scavino (@Scavino47) June 18, 2026
There are new Air Force One aircraft being modified by Boeing. Those are late. They were originally scheduled for 2024 delivery but now are expected in 2028 (though could slip further). This one will be replaced by a ‘bridge aircraft’ in the meantime – the former Qatar head-of-state Boeing 747-8 now registered as N7478D which was donated by the Qatari government last year. They had been trying to sell it for five years.
After taking possesson of the aircraft, the Air Force worked with Boeing and several other agencies on protocols to detect and neutralize technical hazards that might have been introduced by a foreign government.
Retrofitting this aircraft, itself worth $200 – $400 million, cost about $400 million. The two 747s that will come into the fleet in a couple of years are part of a $5 billion program.
The old modified Boeing 747-200B (‘VC-25A’) that’s retiring from Presidential service has about 4,000 square feet of interior space. The President’s suite includes bedrooma, dressing room, lavatory, shower, and office. There’s a conference room (that doubles as dining room), office space, communications areas, and staff areas. The medical suite can function as an operating room, staffed with a doctor always on board. There’s an in-flight refueling capability to extend beyond the plane’s range of about 7,800 statute miles.
The Qatar 747-8 is more flying palace than working White House the way Air Force One has been described. It features an upper-deck lounge, crew quarters, private offices, entertainment systems, small meeting areas, main lounge with full-size sofas and vaulted ceiling, guest bedrooms with en suite bathrooms, rear business class seating for entourage staff, and a private master suite with large bed, sofa, walk-in shower and full vanity.
The Air Force kept the luxury interior rather than converting it into an office layout. They say this was to ensure the conversion was completed more quickly, rather than to preserve the aesthetic for the President’s use. (I’m reminded of another plane that the Department of Homeland Security opted not to convert.)
FOR SALE: Qatari Boeing 747-8 BBJ (A7-HBJ) with less than 1,100 total flight hours and under 300 cycles. Photos: AMAC Aerospace
Does any of you have some money to spare?https://t.co/1MCKw5TIPV pic.twitter.com/bHijllE9O5
— Renate Wijma (@RenateWijma) July 9, 2020
This new aircraft lacks:
- An identical backup aircraft. It’s a single modified Qatar 747-8i, not a matched pair as the Air Force has operated for the President.
- Optimized working layout. It retains lounges, bedrooms, and leather VIP areas instead of a purpose-built office, staff, press, and security work layout.
- May not be available for overseas missions right away. The Air Force says only that the Presidential Airlift Group will choose the right aircraft for each mission.
- Lacks self-defense systems and standalone capabilities. Air Force One is set up to evade missile attacks. It has integrated air stairs, autonomous baggage handling, updated electrical systems, and an ancillary auxiliary power unit. This temporary plane has security and self-protection setups, but not the full configuration.
Other than presidential preference, it’s not clear why this is being rushed, or why $400 million is being spent while complicating the presidential air fleet. The plane will not continue serving as Air Force One once Trump leaves office.
- The original arrangement was that the plane would be donated to Trump’s presidential library and made available for his use once he’s out of office.
- The formal donation from the Qatari government, accepted by the Department of Defene, says that the military has sole discreation consisten twith U.>S law to dispose of the aircraft – and that the arrangement is not to be construed as bribery or undue influence.
- Trump has said he would not use it after leaving office and that it would go to his future presidential library.
The Qatari retrofit plane has been painted in the President’s preferred darker blue rather than the Kennedy-era light blue that’s been in use since the very first customized presidential Boeing 707 in 1962. (Before that, the President flew in plane with standard commercial configuration.)
This is better. pic.twitter.com/rjyoKY53f8
— Daniel Larson (@DANIEL__LARS0N) June 8, 2026
The first presidential flight for the new aircraft is expected to either be a July 3 Mount Rushmore trip or a flight on the Fourth of July.
It seems odd to spend $400 million for two years of use while giving up interchangability between aircraft when presidential airlift is considered a no-fail mission. This creates challenges with redundancy, maintenance, spare parts for specialized systems, and security layout.
The ‘Air Force One’ name dates to 1953, when Eastern Air Lines flight 8610 entered President Eisenhower’s airspace while he was on board. Its moniker was Air Force 8610. To avoid confusion, Air Force One was for the aircraft carrying the President.
is there a betting pool open on how long it takes for the felon to trash that plane?, will he steal the tires off of the current AF-1 as a souvenir? what else is he likely to steal off of it?
Somebody has some serious TDS. Seek help Doug.
I don’t get why aviation writers seem to willfully keep ignoring facts presented when this plane is brought up. The President has made several trips this year alone on the C-32. A 757 that flies the VP and SoS and it is also not built to “AF1” standards. This 747-8 will mostly replace that flying: Domestic destinations that can handle a 747. What is so hard about that? The 2 Boeing VC-25Bs are being built to the full “AF1” configuration, but this is a bridge aircraft. Good Lord, I’m just an internet commenter and seem to have more inside knowledge than 99% of the aviation writers.
Actually, this all makes sense to me. AF29000 is pushing 40 years old. The required maintenance at this age must be intense, and reliability is probably falling. There needs to be a second AF1 in the event of unexpected mechanical problems with the first, as has happened in the past. Yes, $400M is a lot for two years use, however the timeline on the permanent replacements may slide once again, and it (almost, but not really) seems like a bargain vs $2.5B per new replacement AF1. Given the limited use expected, it makes sense to only make essential changes to the bridge aircraft, even though this means compromises. My suspicion is that the bridge aircraft will be restricted to the greatest degree possible to North American airspace given the limited self-defense capabilities.
Maybe we’ll get lucky and the wing will fall off mid-flight with Trump on it.
Disgusting, like everything else about this most repulsive man.
@Alex R – The C-32 remains in the fleet, so they don’t need to replace that flying. The White House reports the Qatari 747 replaces 29000.
For those looking to understand why Trump signed a deal surrending to Iran while getting nothing in return, we present you….
The Bible is never wrong.
Bribery works.
Can we just have government officials who work remotely like the people they’re supposed to represent?
AF One -Bribe Edition
I’m so angry my tax dollars are paying for this idiots plane. What a crook and scumbag. He is cashing in on us American people. Evil, just evil. The American people are really get fed up it’s a matter of time.
@1990’s friend — Bah, I guess I can take the night off… *salute*
“Neutralize technical hazards that might have been introduced by a foreign government”. Good one.
But I am reminded of what Nero said when he entered his mammoth Golden House palace built on the ruins of a fire ravaged Roman neighborhood. “At last I am beginning to live like a human being.” When he was dispatched the whole thing was buried and only recently were some rooms found. Perhaps the ballroom will go the same way and this plane will end up in a boneyard.
Goody. Who wants to participate in a grass roots “water” cannon salute to hose this bribe into service?
@drrichard — Ballroom will be demolished and East Wing rebuilt; item by item, will undo any and all things done that broke rules. See the Kennedy Center. As long as it takes.
I would not be surprised if the real 747-8i Air Force Ones were delayed beyond 2028. If so, the Qatari plane and SAM 28000 (747-200) could be put to good use.
I wonder what will be used around 2070? Will it be a 777-9?
@1990 – remember to take your meds….You are confused, Hilary and Bill would have loved to steal from this aircraft but luckily they left the white-house long time ago
@garyleff. Yes I know. He will still fly the C-32 when airport cant support a 747. C-32 is not as secure as VC-25a. No one cares. Bridge 747-8 is not as secure as VC-25a. Everybody cares. Why is that, thats my entire point.
“The plane will not continue serving as Air Force One once Trump leaves office.” Is this the case. If the 2 748s being modified slip into 2029, won’t the new president use the same pair Trump will be flying? And, even if the planes make it in 2028, they won’t use the donated plane for other uses? Part of me hopes the new ones slip past Jan 2029. That means the new president could prevent (by the selection of DOD secretary) thie plane from being donated to Trump’s library and used for the benefit of our country. Of course, if a Trump sycophant wins, we’ll his library gets it. But, I think nobody in history has done more to guarantee a Dem presidential win than Trump (assuming Dems don’t shoot themselves in the foot and nominate an AOC type).
Color me surprised (not) that the bootlockers and sycophants typed full-throated bullshit in the comments here.
@Bexho2000 — Take the L, I mean, it’s spelled with two Ls…
@No Common Sense
So if we are surrendering to the Iranians shouldn’t the USA sign papers of surrender on an Iranian naval vessel, much like the Japanese on the USS Missouri many years ago? Oh wait a minute. The Iranian navy is on the bottom of the sea. LMFAO.
@Coffee Please: Makes the question even bigger. Why would Trump surrender with our great military victory?
Only answer is that he’s a narcissist idiot who did the same with the Taliban and that he takes huge bribes from the Qataris and other bad characters.
@Alex R- people care about the security of the 748 more than the C32 because the 748 has been described as replacing the retiring VC-25 and that means flying long haul missions. Now, maybe it’ll just be domestic missions after all. But then there was no need to accept the plane and spend $400m on retrofits for that.
Given the discussions when the 747-8 was chosen for the next generation AF1, I believe there’s still unease using a twin engine aircraft (C32) for the president any more than necessary, just as the president always uses a twin engine helicoptor rather than a single engine type.
Everyone hates the orange turd that I worship, they must all have a disease because I’m clearly not the deranged one
who was the idiot president that pushed back on a new presidental plane?
oh Trump did.
play stupid games Win Stupid Prizes.
@Common Sense, @Coffee Please — Y’all watch the Iran World Cup game in Los Angeles? Crowd of Iranian Americans selectively booing and cheering. Clearly there’s nuance between those who support the people verses oppressive regimes. (Same probably goes for elsewhere…)
@1990
Didn’t see the game and as far as division goes, this country is highly divided politically, roughly 50-50 and will always be that way.
@tomri: Trump cancelled the original $4 billion contract with Boeing for the new AF1’s because the taxpayer was responsible for any cost overruns. The new contract is a fixed $3.9 billion contract in which Boeing is responsible for cost overruns except for change orders from the gov’t. The final cost of the program is now expected to top $6 billion. It appears that even with the $400 million spent on the bridge aircraft that the new contract would save taxpayers money. The new contracting negotiation delayed the order by 19 months. The remaining delay was due to supply chain issues and technical difficulties related to modifying two existing airframes rather than starting from scratch. IMO, Boeing and the Administration share blame on that decision.
If tomorrow all the things were gone
I worked for all my life
And I had to start again
With just my children and my wife
I thank my lucky stars
To be living here today
‘Cause the flag still stands for freedom
And they can’t take that away
And I’m proud to be an American
Where at least I know I’m free
And I won’t forget the men who died
Who gave that right to me
And I’d gladly stand up next to you
And defend Her still today
‘Cause there ain’t no doubt
I love this land
God Bless the U.S.A.
From the lakes of Minnesota
To the hills of Tennessee
Across the plains of Texas
From sea to shining sea
From Detroit down to Houston
And New York to L.A.
Where’s pride in every American heart
And it’s time we stand and say
That I’m proud to be an American
Where at least I know I’m free
And I won’t forget the men who died
Who gave that right to me
And I’d gladly stand up next to you
And defend Her still today
‘Cause there ain’t no doubt
I love this land
God Bless the U.S.A.
And I’m proud to be an American
Where at least I know I’m free
And I won’t forget the men who died
Who gave that right to me
And I’d gladly stand up next to you
And defend Her still today
‘Cause there ain’t no doubt
I love this land
God Bless the U.S.A..
Obscene.
@Coffee Please In what world do people give a ways $400 Million dollar aircraft and expect nothing in return? In what world does the US military accept them and then donate them to the former President when they leave? Make American Gullible Again.
Maybe some NoKingers will attempt a runway incursion
@coffee please, that is so simplistic POV.. Japan, an Island with a massive navy VS a country surrounded by 8 other countries, a gulf and a fraction of a sea.. but why should I be surprised, supporters of a cult don’t have much thought process.
New paint job looks like TWA.
“In what world do people give a ways $400 Million dollar aircraft and expect nothing in return?” You should not fear that I would do anything improper after receiving a $400 million gift. It’s called integrity. Does t-rump have integrity? I wonder if the MAGA crowd even believes that.
I am sure its as secure as the reflecting pool is blue.