The New Air Force One Could Be A Qatari 747-8: Here's What Makes It Special

The Trump administration may have a new replacement for Air Force One, according to a report from several major news outlets, including CNN. The candidate is a Boeing 747-8 series aircraft gifted from the Qatari government. Ethical, security, and legislative issues abound with the potential transfer of the Qatari plane and should not be ignored, but what makes this 747 different from your run-of-the-mill airliner? It has been dubbed a "palace in the sky" as the Boeing has been outfitted to serve as a luxury airliner more suited to individuals (and their entourage) as opposed to a more conventional passenger or cargo-oriented role. 

As such, the craft is valued at $400 million. After Trump's term of office is over, the plane would be donated to his Presidential library. Boeing Business Jets, the division of Boeing that deals with executive transport planes, does not even offer a 747 in its current lineup, indicating that the Qatari plane likely has a completely custom interior specified for the monarchy of Qatar.

Mechanically, it's powered by four General Electric GEnx-2B engines, the same engines used by the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. The engines were first developed in 2008 and are newer models than the General Electric CF6 engines on Air Force One. Dimensionally, the Qatari plane is also a little bigger than President Trump's current plane, with a wingspan of 224 feet, 5 inches in length, as opposed to Air Force One's 195 feet, 8 inches. Functionally, the 747-8 is larger and newer than the current Presidential transport plane, which has been in service since 1990.

The Qatari jet and the current Air Force One are similar (yet not identical) aircraft. The plane that serves as Air Force One (a designation it receives only when the President is onboard) isn't actually a Boeing 747, even though it looks a lot like one and is based on the craft. It is, in fact, designated as a VC-25A, according to the United States Air Force. 

The VC-25A serving as Air Force One is fitted with countermeasures in the event of an attack and can be refueled midair by tanker jets if it needs to be in the air for long stretches of time. The electronics onboard are also beefed up to allow the plane to act as a flying White House anywhere in the world. It's a military plane first and foremost that's been fitted for Presidential travel. 

Outfitting the Qatari plane as a replacement for the VC-25A would be a massive undertaking and would involve dismantling the plane. Not only to look for breaches in security, but also to fit all the extra countermeasure and communications hardware. As of May 11, 2025, the deal has not been finalized.