President Donald Trump on Air Force One [Credit: Evan El-Amin/Shutterstock]
Key Takeaways:
The heavily modified Boeing 747 (VC-25A) that has served as Air Force One for 35 years, flying U.S. presidents globally, has likely completed its final presidential flight.
White House officials have posted tributes suggesting the aircraft's retirement, though the White House has not yet made an official announcement.
While new VC-25B replacements are delayed until 2028, an interim Boeing 747-8 donated by the Qatari government, dubbed the "VC-25B Bridge," is being prepared to enter service this summer.
The VC-25As, which served every president since George H.W. Bush, possess advanced defensive and communication capabilities, and their future role within the presidential airlift fleet remains undisclosed.
A heavily modified Boeing 747—referred to by the military as a VC-25A—that has flown U.S. presidents around the world for 35 years has likely operated as Air Force One for the last time.
Shortly after President Donald Trump returned to Washington, D.C., from France early Thursday, two top White House officials posted tributes to the jet.
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Zach Vasile is a writer and editor covering news in all aspects of aviation. He has reported for and contributed to the Manchester Journal Inquirer, the Hartford Business Journal, the Charlotte Observer, and the Washington Examiner, with his area of focus being the intersection of business and government policy.
