US10 min(s) read
Published 14:37 01 Jul 2026 GMT
Donald Trump has taken the first official flight on his new Air Force One - a $400 million luxury Boeing 747 donated by the government of Qatar that has been described as a 'palace in the sky'.
The President boarded the aircraft at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on Wednesday for a flight to North Dakota, where he is attending the dedication of the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library as part of the America 250 celebrations.
"I'm excited about the first flight. Nobody's ever seen anything like it," he told reporters before boarding.
"Frankly, we couldn't build a plane like this because we wouldn't be willing to spend the kind of money necessary. They spent top dollars."
The aircraft is a Boeing 747-8i jumbo jet that was originally built as a VVIP private jet for the Qatari royal family.
French interior designer Yves Pickardt spent over three years on the project, taking his cues from superyachts and luxury apartments rather than anything you would normally see on a commercial aircraft.
It has around 4,000 square feet of interior space spread across two decks but carries just 89 passengers.
A commercial airline would fit between 360 and 460 seats into the same airframe.
That ratio tells you everything about what this plane was built for.
White House reporters who toured the jet described it as feeling "more like a house than a plane".
One noted: "Big, with warm tan walls. Glossy. Silver accents throughout. Solid wood tables. Presidential seal on every seat belt."
Two. The presidential suite sits in the nose of the aircraft - the quietest part of the cabin - and includes a master bedroom with a full-size bed, a guest suite, a private office that doubles as a dining room, and two full bathrooms with showers.
Behind the suites is a private lounge with seating for nine of Trump's inner circle.
The entire forward section has its own discreet entrance, separate from the rest of the cabin.
The main deck features a central lounge with 16 seats in stitched leather, wacapou veneer tables, and a wool-silk Tai Ping carpet.
There is a six-person settee, window-adjacent recliners, and a round table with six more seats.
A custom spiral staircase - designed and certified from scratch - leads to the upper deck, where the space is laid out more like a living room than an aircraft cabin.
It has bookshelves, a corner sofa, a large flat-screen TV, and eight plush seats arranged in a club configuration over coffee tables.
The jet has more than 40 televisions across both decks, including five 55-inch monitors and four 46-inch screens, plus Blu-ray players, live broadcasting capability, and full onboard connectivity.
Five galleys are spread throughout, capable of serving 100 meals simultaneously.
There are nine lavatories in total.
The interior features sycamore and African wacapou wood, stone finishes, natural leathers, and silk textiles throughout.
The two Boeing 747-200s that have served as Air Force One since 1990 are functional military aircraft.
The presidential bedroom on those planes is modest, the private office is utilitarian, and the aesthetic is restrained.
They carry around 70 passengers with far less personal space and none of the material richness found in the Qatari jet.
Trump used one of the old planes for the G7 summit in Europe last month and said it was likely its final presidential trip.
"We'll get them fixed up a little bit, not like this one, and we'll do museums, but they're great planes, they're great history," he said at the unveiling on June 19.
He has also called it "ridiculous" that the president had been flying decades-old aircraft and described the new jet as "the world's most luxurious plane".
The Air Force prioritised speed over a complete rebuild. The interior layout was left 'minimally changed', meaning most of the original Qatari luxury finishes remain intact.
What did change was under the surface.
The aircraft was fitted with secure voice and data links, classified satellite communications, upgraded internal networks, and cryptographic equipment.
A medical unit was added. The Arabic-language exit signs and contemporary artwork were removed. Presidential seals were placed on the walls and on every seatbelt.
The exterior was repainted in red, white, and blue - replacing the baby-blue-and-white colour scheme that had been on Air Force One since the Kennedy era.
Trump said the Qatari Emir asked him what colour he wanted.
"I said, 'I like the colour of the American flag.' Right? That makes sense."
One thing the jet lacks is sufficient refrigerator space.
Unlike the previous Air Force One, it cannot carry all the food needed for long-haul presidential travel, meaning military cargo jets will shadow it across the globe carrying supplies.
The aircraft itself is valued at approximately $400 million and was donated to the US Department of Defense as an 'unconditional' gift from the Qatari government.
However, the total cost is likely significantly higher.
The US government has spent an undisclosed sum on security modifications, classified communications systems, and crew training.
Aviation experts have estimated the full project could exceed $1 billion when all costs are factored in.
The Air Force also leased a separate 747-8 last year so pilots and maintenance crews could begin training on the new model, purchased a former Lufthansa 747-8, and built a full 3D mock-up of the interior for familiarisation training.
That is the question that has followed this story since Semafor first reported on the detailed specifications of the jet in May 2025.
Qatar is a gas-rich Gulf state that hosts a major US military base and has served as a mediator in talks with both Hamas and the Taliban.
It punches well above its weight diplomatically and gives generously to governments and causes worldwide, as well as financing the Al Jazeera television network.
Trump has described the gift as "a great gesture" that would be "stupid" to turn down, saying "only a fool" would refuse it.
The White House has called it "a very public and transparent transaction".
Critics disagree. The gift came just weeks after the Trump Organization announced a deal to build a luxury golf resort in Qatar in collaboration with a Saudi company and a firm owned by the Qatari government.
Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner has also been in Doha for peace talks with Iran.
Donald Sherman, president of the government ethics watchdog Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics, told MS NOW that the President "time and time again makes clear that he is willing to accept and actively seek gifts from foreign governments where the American people have significant national security interests".
"Some things the US government should simply pay for," he said, "and the president's plane is one of them."
He added: "Any student of history remembers that the Trojan horse was a gift, too."
This is not the first time Qatar has gifted a 747 to a NATO ally.
In 2018, Reuters reported that Qatar gave a 'luxury' jumbo jet to Turkey, drawing questions from opposition lawmakers.
President Erdoğan insisted at the time that it was "the plane of the Republic of Turkey, not my plane."
The jet has also drawn attention internationally.
During a meeting in the Oval Office in May 2025, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa appeared to take a dig at Trump over the gift, telling him: "I'm sorry, I didn't have a plane to give you."
Trump's response was typically blunt: "I wish you did. I would take it."
The Boeing 747-8i was originally configured for the Qatari royal family.
Its tail number includes the letters HBJ - the initials of Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber Al Thani, a leading Qatari royal and former prime minister who posted on Instagram about visiting Trump at Mar-a-Lago back in 2018.
The jet was listed for sale through the Swiss firm AMAC Aerospace around 2020, with a 16-page specification document detailing its layout, manufacturers, and interior blueprint.
That document, which is still available on AMAC's website, provides the most detailed publicly available look at the aircraft's original configuration.
Trump said at the unveiling that the plane had just 800 hours of flight time, making it practically "brand new".
The jet is set to serve as a 'bridge' Air Force One until two purpose-built Boeing 747-8 aircraft - originally due in 2024, now expected in 2028 - are delivered.
After that, the Qatari jet will reportedly be transferred to Trump's presidential library foundation, meaning he will continue to use it after his term ends.
The question of who replaces Trump in 2028 is already generating significant discussion, but whoever takes office will not inherit this particular aircraft.
Trump has said the jet will lead a group of aircraft in a "flyover like no flyover" over the White House on July 4 to mark the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.
He has also confirmed the plane will carry him to the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, next month.
The America 250 celebrations have already generated headlines of their own this week, and the new Air Force One's July 4 flyover is likely to add another.
After that, the jet becomes the primary presidential aircraft for the remainder of Trump's second term - a $400 million flying mansion with a master bedroom, a spiral staircase, and a seatbelt with the presidential seal on it.
Whether you see that as smart diplomacy or something else entirely probably depends on how you feel about the man sitting in the master bedroom at 40,000 feet.
