·The new Air Force One planes reportedly will now not be ready until at least 2029, five years after the initial deadline.
Donald Trump, since his first presidential term, has wanted a new, next-generation Air Force One. He didn’t get it then and Boeing, which makes the presidential aircraft, says it doesn’t expect to have it ready before the end of his second term either.
The project, which has already been subject to several delays, has hit more turbulence, reports The Wall Street Journal, and now will not be ready until 2029 at the earliest.
Trump awarded Boeing a $3.9 billion contract in his first term to build a new pair of Air Force Ones, insisting the new jets have a red, white, and blue paint job. (Those paint colors, ironically, could have contributed to the delay, as they reportedly generate enough additional heat that it affects the plane’s electronics. The Biden administration changed the color schemes in 2022.) The current Air Force One planes have been in service since George H.W. Bush occupied the White House.
The project is over budget, though, and Boeing has had its own share of troubles since then, including supply-chain issues and labor problems. The company has also had to juggle the problems with the 737 Max line of jets and its Starliner spacecraft, which has stranded two astronauts at the International Space Station.
Boeing was originally expected to deliver the new Air Force One planes in 2024. Last year, that timeline was reset to 2027. Boeing did not immediately respond to Coins2Day’s request for comment about the report.