Qatar-gifted Boeing jet unveiled as new Air Force One
President Trump on June 19 unveiled the refurbished Boeing 747 gifted by Qatar , now outfitted to serve as Air Force One, as the aircraft arrived at Joint Base Andrews outside Washington.
The jet, accepted from Qatar’s government, has been a point of contention since the gift was first disclosed: critics across both parties raised concerns about the constitutional propriety of accepting a high-value aircraft from a foreign government, and about the cost and time required to bring a foreign-built plane up to the communications and security standards required of a presidential aircraft. The administration has presented the arrangement as a way to fill a gap while Boeing’s long-delayed replacement VC-25B jets remain unfinished.
Putting the aircraft into presidential service settles the practical question of whether the gift would be used, but does not resolve the underlying oversight disputes, which include questions about who bore the refurbishment costs and how the plane will be disposed of when Trump leaves office.