A luxurious Boeing 747 once owned by the Qatari government — boasting gold-colored walls, plush carpeting, leather couches, and ornate fixtures — is being prepared to serve as a temporary Air Force One for US President Donald Trump, according to The Wall Street Journal. The aircraft’s opulent interiors were created by the famed French design house Alberto Pinto Cabinet and echo the aesthetic of Trump Tower.
Trump orders jet as Boeing lags on $3.9 billion upgrade
Trump’s decision to acquire the jet comes amid mounting frustration with Boeing, which has fallen significantly behind on a $3.9 billion project to replace the existing presidential aircraft. The former commander-in-chief has turned to Florida-based defense contractor L3Harris Technologies to retrofit the private Boeing 747 with the communications and security systems required for presidential use.
According to The Wall Street Journal, the aircraft — which once carried a price tag of $400 million — is expected to be in Trump’s possession by early fall.
“I’m not happy with Boeing”
Trump’s pivot to the Qatari-owned aircraft followed a February tour of the jet in West Palm Beach. Afterward, he reportedly told aides: “I’m not happy with Boeing.” Sources told The Journal that Trump has been “regularly checking in” with L3Harris for updates on the retrofitting process.
Boeing project faces years of delay
The Boeing contract was originally awarded by Trump during his first term in 2017 to replace two aging VC-25A aircraft, known as Air Force One when the president is aboard. Those aircraft, first introduced during the George H.W. Bush administration, have required increasingly heavy maintenance.
Although the project was initially scheduled for completion in 2024, Boeing now estimates that delivery won’t occur until at least 2035. The company has reportedly encountered multiple supplier, engineering, and manufacturing setbacks, pushing the project over budget by billions of dollars.
Elon Musk urged greater transparency
The delays were so severe that Trump’s administration once considered canceling the contract altogether. The Wall Street Journal reports that Elon Musk had urged Boeing executives to be more forthcoming about the challenges — a move that allegedly left some company officials “uncomfortable.”