WASHINGTON, June 19, 2026, 16:01 EDT
- The Air Force said the VC-25B Bridge aircraft is now at Joint Base Andrews and will start commissioning flights. The plane needs those before it gets cleared for presidential missions.
- President Donald Trump will get a backup plane for now as Boeing’s new Air Force One aircraft are pushed back again, now to mid-2028.
- There’s a new VC-25A stepping in after social media lit up with goodbye messages for the 35-year-old jet that flew presidents. Security, cost issues, and controversy about the Qatar gift are still in play.
U.S. Air Force officials on Friday showed off a former Qatari Boeing 747-8, now parked at Joint Base Andrews, that they’re fitting out as a temporary Air Force One. The jet will start commissioning flights before joining the presidential fleet.
Pressure is up as the current VC-25A jets get older, with more maintenance work needed, and Boeing’s replacement planes still years from delivery. The name “Air Force One” refers to any U.S. Air Force jet that has the president on board, not to a single aircraft. Reuters
The Air Force is calling these commissioning flights the aircraft’s “final exam.” After they wrap up, the plane is cleared to join the executive airlift fleet alongside the VC-25A and C-32 jets. The C-32s are the modified Boeing 757s flown by top U.S. officials and sometimes serve as Air Force One. Air Force
Air Force Secretary Troy Meink said, “The safety and security of the commander in chief is our highest priority.” He added the Air Force tried to move fast but kept presidential security, communications, and reliability standards in place. Air Force
CBS News said the public is seeing the $400 million plane the U.S. took from Qatar last year for the first time. Trump was at Joint Base Andrews on Friday ahead of a Camp David trip, according to the network.
The White House flagged the switch the day before. Communications director Steven Cheung said goodbye to one of the old Boeing 747-200B planes after Trump got back from Europe. Cheung wrote, “Well done, good and faithful servant,” and called the trip “The Last Ride.” The Washington Post
The Air Force says the bridge aircraft got a red, white and blue livery and had its final government changes done. Most of the old head-of-state interior stayed, with the Air Force saying this move looked like a time-saver over a full rebuild to a more standard working-office layout.
L3Harris was picked to handle the quick upgrade, Reuters said in May. The contract calls for secure comms, anti-surveillance systems, and missile defenses, all necessary if the president has to run the government from the plane.
Boeing is facing most of the pressure from competition and procurement. Its two official VC-25B replacement planes are running four years late, with the first one now set for mid-2028. Boeing’s original 2018 fixed-price contract was $3.9 billion. Program costs have climbed past $5 billion, Reuters said.
Air Force officials said in December they’re picking up two extra Boeing 747-8s for $400 million to use for fleet training and sustainment. The deal is apart from the Qatar aircraft and the two Boeing planes planned as presidential replacements.
Training was underway before the aircraft landed at Andrews. The Air Force said last October it leased an Atlas Air 747-8F, bought a Lufthansa 747-8i for full-time training, and put a 3D interior mock-up in place in January to get the White House team started on familiarization.
The Air Force brought in a “secure, reliable airborne command post” faster than planned, Gen. Ken Wilsbach, the Air Force chief of staff, said. The idea is speed to try to get around delays in the acquisition schedule. Air Force
But speed might not settle the debate. The Washington Post said it’s still unknown if the new jet will get approval for overseas presidential trips. The Presidential Airlift Group will pick which plane to use for each mission. There are still critics questioning the Qatar donation on ethical, legal and security grounds.
Qatar pushed back on claims it used the jet to gain clout. Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani called it “a normal thing that happens between allies” last year, and Trump also brushed off critics, saying the plane is destined for his presidential library. Reuters
