Qatari jet on track for delivery as interim Air Force One

Tony Capaccio, Bloomberg News on May 1, 2026

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WASHINGTON — The aircraft Qatar gave to the United States as an interim Air Force One for President Donald Trump is on track to be delivered this summer, with L3Harris Technologies Inc. completing modifications, the U.S. Air Force said Friday.

The luxury Boeing Co. 747-8 jumbo jet “has officially completed modification and flight testing and is being painted,” the Air Force said today. “The aircraft is on schedule to roll out in a new red, white and blue livery this summer.”

Trump’s acceptance of the jet, one of the largest foreign gifts ever given to the U.S. government, sparked a controversy in the early months of his administration. Using the aircraft given by a foreign power raised both ethical and security concerns, and spurred accusations that outside entities were trying to win favor with the White House.

Trump has said it wouldn’t be a personal gift to him and that the Defense Department would be the recipient, with the president using the aircraft on a temporary basis.

“I don’t know why people consider it as bribery or Qatar trying to buy influence with this administration,” Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani said last year during a panel at the Qatar Economic Forum in Doha.

Air Force Secretary Troy Meink last year said retrofitting the plane to carry the president would take “significant modifications” that would cost less than $400 million. The statement Friday doesn’t include a new estimate.

The White House and Air Force have stressed the Qatari jet is an interim replacement until Boeing is able to finally deliver its new Air Force One models, the first of which is expected in mid-2028, the service said in January.

Boeing had earlier proposed delivering the plane in 2027, three years later than an originally contracted date of December 2024. The aircraft modification program has been plagued by technical glitches and delays.