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Retrofitting Qatari jet as Air Force One for Trump to cost hundreds of millions of dollars, Air Force says
Qatar’s gifted jet to Trump will cost up to $400M to retrofit as Air Force One, sparking legal and ethical concerns.
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Reuters - Thu, 05, Jun 2025
- 15:31 EDT
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The motorcade of U.S. President Donald Trump is parked next to a 12-year old Qatari-owned Boeing 747-8 that Trump was touring in West Palm Beach, Florida, U.S., February 15, 2025. / REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque/File Photo
It will cost hundreds of millions of dollars to retrofit a Qatari luxury Boeing 747 jetliner to fly as the new Air Force One, Air Force Secretary Troy Meink said on June 5.
Last month, the U.S. military accepted the gift from Qatar to transport U.S. President Donald Trump.
Retrofitting the 13-year-old plane, which has a luxurious interior, will require significant security upgrades, communications improvements to prevent spies from listening in and the ability to fend off incoming missiles, experts say.
Also read: US accepts luxury jet from Qatar for use as Air Force One for Trump
"It's probably less than $400 million to retrofit that aircraft," Meink told lawmakers during a Congressional hearing.
Democratic lawmakers have said it could cost more than $1 billion to retrofit the plane.
Meink said a lot of those costs are ones the Air Force would have experienced anyway.
"I think there has been a number thrown around, on the order of a billion dollars, but a lot of those costs associated with that are costs that we would've experienced anyway," he said, adding that this included buying additional platforms for training and spares.
Legal experts have questioned the scope of laws relating to gifts from foreign governments that aim to thwart corruption and improper influence. Democrats have also sought to block the handover.
Qatar has dismissed concerns about the aircraft deal. Trump has also shrugged off ethical concerns, saying it would be "stupid" not to accept the 747-8 jet.
The Air Force One program has faced chronic delays over the last decade, with the delivery of two new 747-8s slated for 2027, three years behind the previous schedule.
Trump toured the Qatari Boeing plane in February at a Florida airport.
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