Key facts
- President Donald Trump flew on a retrofitted Boeing 747 gifted by Qatar, serving as Air Force One for the first time.
- The aircraft has been repainted in Trump's preferred colors of red, white, and blue.
- Trump described the new plane as the 'best plane ever built'.
- The new presidential aircraft is larger, faster, and more fuel-efficient than the previous Air Force One.
- The outgoing Air Force One, a VC-25A, has been in service since the 1990s.
President Donald Trump has taken his first flight on a retrofitted Boeing 747 gifted by Qatar, which is now serving as Air Force One. The aircraft, designated VC-25B Bridge, has been repainted in Trump's preferred colors of red, white, and blue.
Speaking to reporters before boarding at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, Trump called the plane the "best plane ever built." He later landed in Medora, North Dakota, for the dedication of the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library.
The new presidential plane is described as bigger, faster, more fuel-efficient, and more luxurious than the outgoing VC-25A, which has been in service since the 1990s under President George H.W. Bush. The VC-25A measures 231 feet 10 inches long with a wingspan of 195 feet 8 inches. The outgoing aircraft featured a light blue and white paint job originally chosen by first lady Jacqueline Kennedy.
The new VC-25B Bridge, which is serving as an interim aircraft before Boeing's customized VC-25Bs are completed in 2027 or 2028, is larger than the VC-25A. It measures 250 feet long with a wingspan of 224 feet 5 inches. The new Air Force One is a customized Boeing 747-8i built in 2012 and was previously used as a luxury transport by the Qatari royal family.