Trump Switches Air Force One Jets During Return Trip From NATO Summit

President Donald Trump changed aircraft during his return from the NATO summit in Turkey on Wednesday, leaving Ankara aboard an older Air Force One before transferring to the newly renovated Qatari-donated jet at a military base in Britain.

The trip marked the first international use of the new aircraft, a Boeing 747 donated by Qatar and refitted for presidential travel. Trump had flown to Turkey aboard the plane, but surprised observers by departing Ankara on one of the older, familiar blue-and-white Air Force One jets.

He later boarded the new aircraft at RAF Mildenhall in Britain for the final leg of the journey back to Washington.

Trump said the temporary switch was made partly for nostalgia and partly to give American service members stationed at the British base an opportunity to see the new plane.

In a social media post, he said he had flown the older aircraft “for old time’s sake” and described the new jet as “truly magnificent.”

Video from the British base later showed Trump boarding the renovated 747 before its departure for the United States.

The aircraft features a new red, white, dark blue and gold paint scheme selected by Trump. Defense contractor L3Harris Technologies handled the extensive conversion work needed to prepare the former luxury aircraft for presidential use.

The plane has drawn intense scrutiny since Qatar offered it to the United States.

Critics have raised questions about the cost of the conversion, the security of accepting an aircraft from a foreign government and the unusually rapid pace of the retrofit. Presidential aircraft require highly specialized communications systems, protection against electronic surveillance and defensive equipment designed to guard against missile threats.

Administration officials have said the aircraft meets the security standards required for presidential travel.

The plane switch came during a period of heightened tension with Iran. Turkey shares a border with Iran, and hostilities involving Tehran had intensified as Trump attended the NATO summit.

Asked in Ankara whether a possible assassination threat had influenced the decision to change aircraft, Trump did not give a direct answer.

“I’m number one on the kill list for Iran,” he told reporters. “I don’t know. I can’t tell you that, but I don’t really care.”

A second presidential aircraft routinely travels as a backup during overseas trips, allowing the president and his staff to switch planes if necessary.

Trump had initially suggested that the new plane might visit several major military installations in Europe so service members could tour it. In the end, RAF Mildenhall appeared to be its only European stop before returning to the United States.

The donated jet is intended to serve as an interim presidential aircraft while Boeing continues work on two next-generation Air Force One planes.

Those aircraft were ordered under a $3.9 billion fixed-price contract signed in 2018, but the program has suffered repeated delays and cost overruns. Delivery is now expected no earlier than mid-2028, nearly four years later than originally planned.

The delays have created the possibility that the new American-built presidential planes may not enter service until shortly before Trump leaves office in January 2029.

Boeing has recorded billions of dollars in losses and charges connected to the troubled program, which has grown to more than $5 billion in total costs.

The Qatari aircraft gives the White House a newer interim option, but its use is likely to remain politically controversial because of its foreign origin, the expense of the conversion and continuing questions about how quickly it was prepared for service.