United States President Donald Trump unveiled his new Air Force One Boeing 747, which was gifted by the Qatari royal family to the Defence Department on Friday.
The jet, one of the biggest foreign gifts received by the US government, was unveiled at the Joint Base Andrew in Maryland.
The plane is reportedly worth approximately $400 million, far exceeding the limit on receiving unsolicited gifts of $50 in value in a single year from the same source.
The president praised the workmanship of the plane and said that it was the "world's most luxurious plane." he said that it was the largest Air Force One ever built, adding, "it flies further and faster than any Air Force One."
The new plane is longer than the older Air Force One by 18 feet and 4 inches. It can also carry more weight and fly slightly faster and farther.
The jet had a design change, dropping the earlier light blue, silver and white colour scheme in exchange for red, white and blue stripes.
"It was time for a change. … Everything was designed good. It was my taste," Trump said, saying that he approved the new colour scheme and the new wavy flag design on the tail.
The changes to the design are also very similar to the design of Trump's personal jet, which he has used for many years.
Reporters who took a tour of the plane found that it had leather seats that recline flat. The walls and carpets are tan, and the light fixtures are gold. The artwons on the pance was deisgned buy french interior design firm Cabinet Alberto Pinto.
Among the modifications was the seatbelts, now fixed with the presidential seal.
Converting the Qatari aircraft reportedly cost around $1 billion despite Pentagon officials saying the total cost of the overhaul would not exceed $400 million. Aviation experts told NBC News that the installation of multiple top-secret systems would raise the costs to $ 1 billion.
The plane is also reportedly double in size to the Boeing VC-25As, which have served US presidents since 1990.
The Qatar royal family’s gift is to be used temporarily before Boeing builds two new presidential Air Force Ones, which are set to be ready in 2028. the cost of the Boeing aircraft reportedly increased from $3.7 billion to $5 billion.
Trump also said that the Air Force One, which he used to travel to Europe last week, would go into a museum.
The new VC-25B Bridge aircraft will undergo its commission flights, which the Air Force calls a final exam for the plane.
Reports also said that the 747 costs $180,000 t0 $200,000 per flight hour, a steep increase from the Boeing 757’s cost of $12,000 to $16,500 per hour of flight. The sharp rise in costs makes it unlikely for Trump to use the jet for his personal use, reports said.
