Due to Boeing delays
Frustrated by years of Boeing delays, US President Donald Trump has decided to purchase a used Boeing 747 formerly owned by the Qatari government to serve as a temporary Air Force One, Gizmodo reports. The new plane is expected to be ready by fall 2025 to replace Boeing’s aging 747-200s, which are more than 35 years old.
In 2018, Trump awarded Boeing a $3.9 billion contract to build two new Air Force One jets based on the current Boeing 747-8. But supply chain issues, design challenges, and a shortage of people with security clearances have left the project seriously behind schedule. Boeing has said the planes could be ready by 2035, well beyond Trump’s second term. The company is already billions of dollars over budget. To speed things up, Trump has hired L3Harris Technologies to modify the Qatari 747.
Source: gizmodo