US President Donald Trump on Friday unveiled a new Air Force One, a former Qatari-owned Boeing 747 that has been converted into the official aircraft for the US president. Trump announced that he will use the new plane for next month’s NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey. He also said that his return journey from the G7 summit in France this week was expected to be the last planned trip on the current Air Force One.

The aircraft is being used as a temporary solution until the new presidential jets ordered from Boeing are delivered. The aircraft was originally expected in 2024 but is now scheduled to arrive in 2028. The Trump administration formally accepted the luxury jet from Qatar last year for presidential use. Several people criticised and questioned the ethics and legality of accepting such an expensive gift from a foreign government.

Making this announcement from a large hangar at Andrews Air Force Base while addressing several hundred Air Force personnel, Trump spoke shortly after stepping off the aircraft as his signature song, “God Bless the USA,” played in the background. Describing the plane, Trump said, “This plane was transformed into a flying White House at a level of luxury that nobody has ever seen before.”

The new aircraft has a noticeably different appearance from the current presidential plane. It replaces the Kennedy-era robin’s egg blue colour scheme with a more striking design. The lower part of the aircraft is painted navy blue, with a red stripe running over it. The sides display the presidential seal, and the tail features a large American flag.

Trump praised the aircraft’s appearance and said it would help project a stronger image of the United States during foreign visits. “Now, when we land at airports in London and in Germany and different places, nobody tops this one, and that's the way we have to have it for our country,” he said. He added that the colours and overall design were “to my taste, I will say.” Trump also announced that the aircraft would participate in a flypast during the July 4 celebrations.

The president said the United States had been facing delays while waiting for the Boeing replacement aircraft. He described the situation by saying the country was in “a little bit of a logjam.” Trump explained that he had personally asked the emir of Qatar for the use of one of the country’s aircraft. “See, a normal president wouldn't do this. A normal president wants to stay away from aircraft,” Trump said. “But our country has to be represented properly.”

During his remarks, Trump indicated that he would travel to China again. His comments appeared to refer to the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit, hosted by China in November.

The US Air Force said that any aircraft carrying the Air Force One designation must meet strict security standards. In a statement released on Friday, the US Air Force said that the Qatari aircraft “was modified under a disciplined engineering approach that prioritised these exact core capabilities above all else.” The Air Force also said, “much of the previous head of state interior layout” had been retained during the conversion process. Officials had previously estimated that the required security modifications would cost less than USD 400 million.

Trump’s effort to redesign the presidential fleet began during his first term in office. He then directed that future presidential aircraft should use a colour scheme similar to his personal jet. Former President Joe Biden later reversed that decision in March 2023 after an Air Force review suggested that darker colours could increase costs and further delay production. However, after returning to the office, Trump restored his preferred design. Earlier this year, the Air Force also announced that other government aircraft used by senior administration officials would adopt a similar red, white and navy colour scheme.

According to an Air Force spokesperson who spoke to The Associated Press, the two current presidential aircraft, known as VC-25As, will continue operating until the new Boeing VC-25B aircraft enter service. The spokesperson said both the Qatari aircraft and the existing VC-25As would remain available for presidential travel. “The Presidential Airlift Group will select the appropriate aircraft for each mission based on operational requirements,” the spokesperson said.

For now, the newly modified aircraft will operate alongside the existing presidential fleet. It will serve as a bridge aircraft until Boeing completes and delivers the long-delayed next generation of Air Force One planes.