Trump’s Qatar-gifted Air Force One nears launch after $400M overhaul

United States (U.S.) President Donald Trump’s new Air Force One gifted to him by Qatar is all set to enter service by this summer after a $400 million overhaul.

Qatar gifted a Boeing 747 (estimated value $400 million) to President Trump during his official visit to the Arab country last year.

In a statement on Friday, the U.S. Air Force updated, “We have officially completed modification and flight testing,” adding that the jet was being painted.

The gifted plane will serve as a temporary presidential plane. “The aircraft is on schedule to roll out in a new red, white and blue livery this summer,” the Air Force said.

The expensive gift sparked significant controversy in the U.S. as many argued that it posed national security risks and also declared it against the constitutional prohibition on foreign gifts to the president.

The overhaul itself was costly, with the Air Force spending roughly $400 million, equalling the estimated value of the plane, to deconstruct some parts to make sure there was no spy technology and new top-secret communications gear had been installed.

General Dale White, the four-star Air Force official managing the overhaul, said, “By and large, the airplane we are getting is in the same condition from an interior perspective.”

He added that the Air Force’s specifications for presidential aircraft differ significantly from those used by other countries for their heads of state.