President Donald Trump raised the possibility of major changes to the “Air Force One” replacement program in the face of persistent and growing delays.
Speaking with reporters late Feb. 19 aboard one of the current jets used for presidential airlift, Trump confirmed he is frustrated with the planned VC-25B replacement program and with prime contractor Boeing. Video of his comments circulated on C-SPAN, Fox News, and other media outlets.
“I’m not happy with Boeing,” Trump said. “It takes them a long time to do Air Force One. We gave that contract out a long time ago as a fixed-price contract, and I’m not happy with the fact that it’s taking so long, and we may do something else. We may go and buy a plane or get a plane or something.”
Boeing has been working on a replacement for the current VC-25A “Air Force One” jets since 2015. During Trump’s first term, he took a keen interest in the program, first expressing displeasure with the price, then announcing a new deal worth $3.9 billion for two aircraft in 2018 and revealing plans for a new paint scheme in 2019.
The program continues to suffer delays, however. The Air Force settled on two Boeing 747-8 airframes and hired Boeing to be the systems integrator for the many extensive modifications needed to transform a basis commercial jetliner into a “mobile West Wing.”
The goal was to field the new aircraft by 2024, but cost has grown and the schedule has slipped. Boeing says it has absorbed more than $2 billion in costs and now suggests delivery could take as much as four more years.
“Now supposedly they’re losing a lot of money and they’d like to see if they could up the price,” Trump said. “But I like fixed-price deals.”
Airbus is the only other manufacturer that makes such large aircraft, but Trump dismissed the idea of turning to Boeing’s European rival, saying he “would not consider Airbus.”
“But I could buy one that was used and convert it,” he said. “I could buy one from another country, perhaps, or get one from another country. So we’re looking at other alternatives, because it’s taking Boeing too long.”
Boeing declined to comment. An Air Force spokesperson, asked whether the White House has directed the Air Force to look at alternatives, said only that “Boeing is expected to deliver an updated Integrated Master Schedule to the Air Force in Spring 2025.”
The Air Force regularly converts commercial aircraft for military uses; the new Survivable Airborne Operations Center aircraft, the successor to the service’s E-4B “Doomsday” plane, will also be based on 747-8 jets. USAF acquired five Korean Air 747-8 passenger jets to retrofit for that project, and hired . Sierra Nevada Corp. on a $13 billion contract to equip the jets.
Trump toured a Boeing plane in Florida this month that was previously owned by Qatar, a move intended to highlight Boeing’s “failure to deliver a new Air Force One on time as promised,” a White House official told pool reporters.
Boeing and Air Force officials blame delays and cost overruns for the new Air Force One jets on higher-than-expected manufacturing costs, protracted negotiations with suppliers, other supply chain issues, engineering changes, and shortages of skilled workers with security clearances.
In other reports, the Government Accountability Office has noted other problems plaguing the new aircraft: wiring design issues; cabin noise from the environmental control system; delays in finalizing a testing plan; and stress-corrosion cracks necessitating repairs.
In its latest budget request, the Air Force projected initial operational capability for the first aircraft in mid-2028, and some media outlets have reported that date might slip further, to 2029. That would put the program five years behind its original timeline and drag out to 14 years the time from program start to delivery of just two jets.
Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg said in media interviews in recent weeks that Elon Musk—the billionaire owner of SpaceX and a close adviser to Trump—is working with the company to help deliver the VC-25B faster.