The Boeing 747 jet donated by Qatar to President Donald Trump last year is expected to enter service as the interim Air Force One this summer, according to The Wall Street Journal.
Citing U.S. Air Force officials, the newspaper reported Wednesday that the aircraft could be part of the nation’s 250th anniversary celebrations in July. An exact delivery date has not been announced.
The gifted 747-8 is undergoing extensive modifications to serve as the next official presidential transport. The aircraft will need to be dismantled and reassembled to check its structural integrity, and top-secret communications, cyber defense, and anti-missile systems will have to be installed.
The airplane will also have to be swept for listening devices.
It is not clear if the Qatari jet will have all the functionality of the current Air Force One, the Journal reported. When the aircraft was first delivered to the U.S., some elected officials predicted the retrofit could take years to complete if the systems on board the current Air Force One were replicated exactly.
Two Boeing VC-25As—a military version of the 747—have been flying as Air Force One for close to four decades. Boeing is working on two replacement aircraft, known as VC-25Bs, but the project has been held up numerous times due to supply shortages and cost overruns.
Trump has repeatedly criticized Boeing over the matter, and his frustration with the company prompted him to accept the jet from Qatar. He plans to use the aircraft until the VC-25Bs are delivered in 2028, the last full year of his second term.
