Trump Scraps Plans for U.K. Flight on ‘Bridge’ Air Force One

President plans to use Qatari-donated jet as interim transport while awaiting two permanent aircraft from Boeing.

Jack Daleo

Wednesday, July 08, 2026 at 04:00 PM ET

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Edited By:

Travis Tingle

Known as the VC-25B ‘Bridge,’ Trump’s new, Qatari-donated jet is planned to be designated Air Force One until Boeing delivers replacements for older aircraft. [Credit: U.S. Air Force]

Key Takeaways:

President Trump has introduced the "Bridge" Air Force One, a Qatari-donated Boeing 747-8, to temporarily replace existing aircraft due to delays in the official VC-25B replacement program.
Trump intentionally flew an older Air Force One to the U.K., sending the new "Bridge" jet ahead for service members to tour, which has renewed scrutiny on the new aircraft.
The "Bridge" jet's modifications are controversial, with critics estimating costs could exceed $1 billion (compared to the Air Force's $400 million estimate) and raising concerns about potential national security risks due to a rushed retrofit.
Senate Democrats have criticized the lack of transparency surrounding the "rushed" and costly modifications to the Bridge aircraft, demanding detailed answers on expenditures and potential risks.

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President Donald Trump’s decision to fly from Turkey to the U.K. on Wednesday in an older aircraft designated Air Force One has renewed scrutiny around the VC-25B “Bridge” aircraft—a modified Boeing 747-8 donated last year by the Qatari government—that is intended to replace it.

Trump in a post on Truth Social on Wednesday said he would send the Bridge Air Force One, which this month made its first flight with the president on board, to the U.K.’s Mildenhall Air Force Base (EGUN), so that U.S. service members could be among the first to tour it. Trump said that, “for old time’s sake,” he would fly an older aircraft from Turkey—where he attended a NATO summit this week—to the U.K.