A Boeing 747-8 jetliner practices touch and go landings on June 22, 2026 at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland. The plane, which was a gift from the government of Qatar, is designated as the new Air Force One and will replace the military-grade 747-2. (Andrew Leyden/Getty Images)
FARNBOROUGH — A Boeing 747 donated by Qatar and modified to serve as a new flying White House will be taken out of service for additional upgrades, just weeks after an international debut, according to President Donald Trump.
“It has a lot of capability,” Trump told reporters on Sunday in New Jersey while departing from the FIFA World Cup final, according to Reuters. “But as I understand it, in about a month or so, they’re gonna send it to have it be maxed out.”
Trump said the modification will “take about a month,” but did not elaborate on what the process will entail.
On July 9, the New York Times reported the aircraft — gifted last year by the Qatari royal family — lacks anti-missile countermeasures standard for flying the president and an extensive entourage of security personnel and other passengers. The story prompted an aggressive reaction from the Trump administration, including subpoenas hand-delivered to Times journalists demanding they testify about the sources for their reporting.
