President Donald Trump officially inaugurated the Boeing 747 donated by Qatar, describing it as an aircraft the United States could not have purchased due to cost, and praised the Emir as a 'gentleman'. The plane, intended as an interim Air Force One, was formally presented in a ceremony, according to Israeli media reports.
President Donald Trump formally inaugurated the Boeing 747 donated by Qatar in a ceremony on Wednesday, July 1, confirming the aircraft's role as an interim Air Force One. Trump stated that the United States could not have purchased such a plane due to cost, and that Boeing described it as the best 747 ever built. He credited the Emir of Qatar with insisting on donating the aircraft, calling him a 'gentleman'. The ceremony came hours after Trump boarded the aircraft for its inaugural flight to North Dakota, as reported earlier Wednesday.
The thread began on Monday, June 29, when multiple reports indicated Trump would fly to North Dakota for the US 250th anniversary events aboard the plane. By Wednesday afternoon, Israeli journalist Asaf Rozenzweig reported that Trump had boarded the aircraft and the flight had departed. Trump later provided additional details, confirming the plane would serve as an interim Air Force One while new presidential jets remain under construction, and noting that the Emir insisted on donating it, calling him a 'gentleman'.
As The Zioneer previously reported, the aircraft, valued at $400 million, was gifted after Trump said the US could not spend that sum on an interim replacement. It had entered operational readiness as of June 23, after being painted in New York earlier in the month. The plane, described by Boeing as the best 747 ever built, remains a temporary solution for presidential air travel.
No timeline for the aircraft's full operational deployment beyond this inaugural flight has been stated. The aircraft's long-term role as an interim Air Force One, while new presidential jets are under construction, remains subject to further developments.
8 developments
- StrongTrump displays Qatar-gifted interim Air Force One in New York
- DevelopingTrump's interim Air Force One enters operational readiness
- DevelopingQatar-donated interim Air Force One painted in New York, timed to billion-dollar pledge
- StrongTrump, before maiden flight on Qatari jet: Iran nuclear disarmament 'moving along well'
Source and signal
- Internal intake