Since his first term in the White House, President Donald Trump has displayed a model of a new Air Force One plane on his desk.
On July 1, his long-held vision became a reality when the aircraft the US accepted as a gift from Qatar, designated the VC-25B Bridge, flew as Air Force One for the first time.
Speaking to reporters before boarding the aircraft at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, Trump called it the “best plane ever built.”
He later landed in Medora, North Dakota, for the dedication of the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library.
Retrofitted with state-of-the-art protective measures and painted in his favored colors of red, white, and blue, the new presidential plane is bigger, faster, more fuel-efficient, and more luxurious than the outgoing VC-25A fleet, which has served presidents since the 1990s.
It has also been brought in and out of service amid operational mishaps and security concerns, such as when Trump secretly switched to a C-32A to fly back from Turkey in July due to threats from Iran, and when the VC-25B Bridge’s emergency slide was accidentally deployed in September.
A senior administration official previously told Business Insider that the VC-25B Bridge is “the greatest presidential plane ever built,” and added, “We maintain a consistent posture that ensures a safe, secure, and reliable capability for the President of the United States and routinely evolve the capability as required to maintain that posture.”
An Air Force spokesperson told Business Insider, “We do not provide specific details on capabilities or provide comparisons between aircraft.”
Here’s how Trump’s new VC-25B Bridge compares to the old VC-25A.
The old Air Force One was a customized Boeing 747-200B, designated VC-25A, that entered service under President George H.W. Bush.
The first VC-25A, known as SAM 28000, began serving as Air Force One in 1990, and is flying alongside the Qatari-donated plane.
The outgoing Air Force One, a second, identical VC-25A known as SAM 29000, entered service in 1991. It completed its final presidential flight in June 2026.
The VC-25A measures 231 feet and 10 inches long with a wingspan of 195 feet and 8 inches.
The new Air Force One is a customized Boeing 747-8i built in 2012 and previously used as a luxury transport by the Qatari royal family.
The VC-25B Bridge — so called because it is serving as an interim presidential aircraft before Boeing’s customized VC-25Bs are delivered starting in 2028 — is larger than the VC-25A at about 250 feet long, with a wingspan of 224 feet and 5 inches.
The old Air Force One featured a light blue and white paint job resembling the design originally chosen by first lady Jacqueline Kennedy.
Jacqueline Kennedy chose the shades of blue and white for SAM 26000, a Boeing VC-137C that entered service in 1962 under President John F. Kennedy.
The first lady was also responsible for adding the words “United States of America” to the presidential plane.
An American flag was featured on the tail, with the stars facing forward per the US Flag Code.
Trump selected a red, white, and navy blue livery for the new Air Force One and a new waving American flag design on the tail.
The Air Force initially rejected the navy paint color Trump proposed during his first term for the forthcoming VC-25Bs, saying a thermal study found that the darker shade would require additional testing to avoid overheating issues. However, Trump got his preferred colors in his second term. He also reimagined the tail’s flag design.
“As you know, we’ve always gone with a straight little noodle and I never loved that,” Trump said of the tail’s new waving flag design after touring the plane at Joint Base Andrews on June 19. “Now we have a wavy, beautiful flag. We’re waving it proudly because our country is doing so well.”
The old Air Force One jet had four General Electric CF6-80C2B1 jet engines, each with 56,700 pounds of thrust.
While traveling at 630 miles per hour, the VC-25A had a range of 7,800 miles without refueling.
The VC-25A is also capable of midair refueling.
The four GEnx-2B engines on the new Air Force One each feature 66,500 pounds of thrust and emit 16 tons less carbon dioxide per trip, the White House said.
The VC-25B Bridge can fly faster and farther than its predecessor, with a range of 8,900 miles at 660 miles per hour.
The VC-25B Bridge is not equipped for in-flight refueling. The forthcoming VC-25B planes that Boeing is building will also not be capable of aerial refueling to cut costs, Air and Space Forces Magazine reported.
The interiors of the old Air Force One largely remained the same through several administrations, with a few cosmetic changes.
Some furniture and decor had been updated under various presidents — for example, President Bill Clinton’s Air Force One conference room featured tan leather chairs, while President Barack Obama opted for a darker chocolate brown. However, the plane’s beige walls and wood paneling didn’t change much throughout its 36 years of service.
Trump’s new luxury jet is outfitted with gold light fixtures, reclining massage chairs, and gleaming surfaces throughout.
Trump called the new Air Force One “the world’s most luxurious plane.” It features a primary bedroom with an en-suite bathroom that includes a walk-in shower, as well as a common area with couches and private office spaces.
The press section is also outfitted with luxurious touches, including reclining massage chairs.
The old VC-25A planes cost $325 million each.
Boeing is building new, customized VC-25Bs to serve as Air Force One, but the $3.9 billion project — which has since increased to more than $5 billion — is behind schedule. The planes were initially scheduled for delivery in 2024, but the timeframe has been pushed to 2028, prompting Trump to seek his own means of acquiring a new presidential jet.
The original contract was fixed-price, so any additional costs must be absorbed by Boeing.
The new presidential jet was a gift from Qatar valued at around $400 million, but the cost of retrofitting it to serve as Air Force One remains classified.
Secretary of the Air Force Troy E. Meink told Congress in June 2025 that retrofitting the new Air Force One would cost less than $400 million, while some lawmakers expressed concerns that it could cost up to $1 billion in taxpayer funds.
In July 2025, The New York Times flagged a $934 million transfer of funds from a nuclear modernization budget to update aging ground-based weapons systems to a classified project, which it reported could be the new Air Force One, since the presidential plane is equipped to order nuclear strikes. The Air Force declined to comment.
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