White House Bids Farewell to Aging Air Force One as Qatari-Gifted Jet Prepares for Duty

White House officials on Wednesday marked the impending retirement of the aging Air Force One, as President Donald Trump prepares to take delivery of a replacement jet donated by the government of Qatar — a transition that has drawn sustained scrutiny over its legal, ethical and security implications.

The current presidential aircraft, a pair of modified Boeing 747-200s that have ferried American presidents for more than three decades, are slated to be supplanted by a $400 million Boeing 747-8 gifted by Qatar. The Air Force has finished modifying and testing the donated jet and is repainting it in the red, white and blue color scheme Trump favors, officials said.

The Qatari aircraft is intended to serve as a stopgap Air Force One until Boeing completes two long-delayed VC-25B planes, which are not expected to enter service until around 2028. Those purpose-built replacements, ordered years ago, have been beset by cost overruns and engineering delays, leaving the administration eager to put a more modern jet into rotation in the meantime.

Trump has signaled he may use the inaugural flight of the new plane for a high-profile occasion, telling aides he is considering debuting it on a trip to Mount Rushmore next month as part of celebrations marking the 250th anniversary of American independence. White House officials have framed the handoff as a milestone, with senior staff gathering to bid farewell to the older jet.

The arrangement has been contentious from the start. Accepting a luxury aircraft from a foreign government raised immediate questions about the Constitution's emoluments clause, and national-security experts have warned that retrofitting a foreign-built plane to the exacting standards required to carry the president — including secure communications and defensive countermeasures — is a complex and costly undertaking. Some aviation specialists had publicly doubted the jet could be made ready as quickly as the administration promised.

Administration officials have defended the deal as a pragmatic way to modernize the presidential fleet without waiting years for Boeing, and say the aircraft will meet all required security standards before it carries the president. For now, the older 747 remains in service as the final modifications are completed, with the Qatari jet expected to be delivered over the summer.