The White House has a new presidential plane. Donald Trump presented the new Air Force One this Friday in its first public exhibition: a Boeing 747-8 whose remodeling was valued at 400 million dollars and donated by Qatar.
The moment has been unprecedented. The president of the United States has descended the steps of the plane into a hangar at Joint Base Andrews, the military airfield located on the outskirts of Washington. “There will never be one like this. It is very unique. It is considered the most luxurious plane in the world”the president stated during the presentation.
The Qatari apparatus cannot be more in line with the president’s tastes. The Boeing 747-8 has been painted in the red, white and blue colors of the American flag at Trump’s request for use as a presidential aircraft. This plane replaces that It has been in service for 35 years.
The retired plane, a Boeing 747-200B used as Air Force One when transporting the president, made its last flight this morning, transporting Trump back to Washington
The New York magnate has taken the opportunity to announce the first mission of the new Air Force One: he will lead an aerial parade on July 4, the day the country turns 250, in Washington. “We will have many planes flying over the Capitol and the White House and this one will lead the formation,” he stated.
A gift not without controversy
It was months ago when the Pentagon accepted the gift from Qatar, a key ally of the United States in the Middle East, despite the ethical doubts raised by a donation of this type and concerns about the security of the device.
The plan is to use the Qatari plane temporarily as Air Force One while Boeing completes the construction and modernization of the two aircraft ordered during Trump’s first term (2017-2021).
The Air Force announced this Friday the arrival of the plane, whose military designation is VC-25B Bridgeto the Presidential Air Transport Group at Joint Base Andrews (Maryland), where it will begin a series of certification flights before formally joining the fleet in charge of transporting the American president.
According to the Air Force, the delivery of the aircraft responds to the need to reduce pressure on the aging VC-25A fleet, whose maintenance cycles are increasingly extensive. “The safety and security of the commander in chief are our top priority,” Secretary of the Air Force said in a statement. Troy Meink.
The organization also highlighted that any aircraft operating under the Air Force One logo must meet strict security requirements and be fully connected during its movements. “We are proud to deliver the VC-25B Bridge aircraft to the president,” said Air Force Chief of Staff General Ken Wilsbach.
At the moment it is unknown what the first flight of the Qatari plane will be, although US media speculate that Trump could travel to Mount Rushmore (Dakota del Sur) at the beginning of July, on the occasion of the commemorations of the 250th anniversary of the country’s independence.
