Trump inspects plane, slams Boeing’s Air Force One delays
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President Donald Trump conducted an inspection of a Boeing aircraft at Palm Beach International Airport, examining new technological features while drawing attention to the company’s significant delays in delivering the next generation of Air Force One presidential aircraft.
The inspection took place on a private aircraft that has been in service for 13 years. White House Communications Director Steven Cheung stated, “President Trump is touring a new Boeing plane to checkout the new hardware/technology. This highlights the project’s failure to deliver a new Air Force One on time as promised.”
The current Air Force One fleet consists of two modified Boeing 747s, both over three decades old. While Boeing holds the contract for producing updated versions, the project has encountered substantial financial losses and repeated delays.
Trump is touring a new Boeing plane to see the new hardware and tech.
The WH says: "this highlights the project’s failure to deliver a new Air Force One on time as promised, as they are already 5 years late." pic.twitter.com/vTS29C81Pt
— Bernd Debusmann Jr (@BernieDebusmann) February 15, 2025
Initially scheduled for completion in 2024, the delivery timeline has been pushed back significantly. The U.S. Air Force now expects the first aircraft to arrive in 2027, with the second following in 2028.
Throughout this process, Trump has been vocal about his concerns regarding both cost overruns and delivery delays. During a 2024 conversation with Elon Musk on X, Trump claimed, “Over a course of about four weeks, by my saying I’m not going to do it, I got the price reduced by $1.6 billion for the exact same plane, other than we had a nicer paint job, if you want to know the truth, but for the exact same plane.”
Musk, who has provided significant financial support to Trump’s 2024 campaign, now leads a Department of Government Efficiency focused on reducing government expenditure and streamlining operations, though his methods have faced criticism.
Boeing’s troubled project to provide two new Air Force One jets is pushing the delivery to 2029 – originally scheduled for March 2026.
Could Boeing also be in charge of California's High Speed Rail boondoggle, over budget by $100B, and overdue 5 years.https://t.co/UMACgBm2rU
— Katy Grimes (@KATYSaccitizen) February 15, 2025
Boeing’s CEO Kelly Ortberg recently announced that Musk is collaborating with Boeing to accelerate the delivery of the replacement aircraft.
Additionally, Trump has expressed interest in modifying Air Force One’s appearance, preferring a darker blue color scheme over the current light blue. A previous attempt at this change was abandoned during the Biden administration after studies indicated it would require additional testing and create further delays, increasing costs.
