The Boeing 747-8 being offered to U.S. President Donald Trump by Qatar once served the Qatari royal family and has been sitting unsold for years.
The jet, a lavishly configured version of Boeing’s largest passenger aircraft, has been lingering without a buyer since being put up for sale in 2020, according to aircraft listings and aviation analysts.
Why It Matters
Trump has publicly expressed frustration with Boeing’s yearslong delay in delivering two modified 747s for presidential use. The president has argued that by accepting Qatar’s offer, he can bypass delays and save U.S. taxpayers money. Critics, however, fear that the acceptance would be unethical and even unconstitutional.
To meet Air Force One standards, the plane would need extensive modifications, including secure communications, nuclear blast shielding and missile defense systems.
What To Know
The aircraft was commissioned for Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber Al Thani, Qatar’s former prime minister, and delivered in 2012 at a list price of $367 million—not including the interior, which likely cost tens of millions of dollars.
The customized interior, designed by Paris-based Cabinet Pinto, features sycamore and wacapou wood finishes, silk fabrics and space for 89 passengers in a configuration that includes two bedrooms and entertainment and meeting rooms.
Despite its luxury interior, the plane has failed to find a buyer since being put on the market in 2020, according to a report from Forbes.
The Qatar Amiri Flight, which manages the royal family’s aircraft, still retains a fleet of similar planes. One of the two other 747-8s appears inactive, and a similar jet was gifted to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in 2018 after failing to sell.
Ben Schlappig, writing in the aviation blog One Mile at a Time in 2020, said the aircraft offered to Trump had flown 1,069 hours since its delivery in 2012, averaging about two hours per week.
John Goglia, a former member of the National Transportation Safety Board, told Forbes that giving the 747-8 to the U.S. would allow the Qataris to avoid maintenance costs that were only getting higher—with the 747 fleet shrinking worldwide and fewer mechanics available who know how to work on them.
What People Are Saying
Commenting on Qatar’s offer, U.S. President Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social on Sunday: “The Boeing 747 is being given to the United States Air Force/Department of Defense, NOT TO ME! It is a gift from a Nation, Qatar, that we have successfully defended for many years. It will be used by our Government as a temporary Air Force One, until such time as our new Boeings, which are very late on delivery, arrive.
“Why should our military, and therefore our taxpayers, be forced to pay hundreds of millions of Dollars when they can get it for FREE from a country that wants to reward us for a job well done. This big savings will be spent, instead, to MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN! Only a FOOL would not accept this gift on behalf of our Country.”
What Happens Next
While Trump is eager to accept the gift, bipartisan concerns in Washington over the ethics of the transaction remain and could spark legal challenges.
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