President Trump unveiled the new Qatari-gifted Air Force One plane on Friday, saying it will fly \u201cfurther and faster\u201d than any other model of presidential plane.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Trump toured the renovated Boeing jet at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThere will never be one like this. This is very unique. This is considered the world\u2019s most luxurious plane,\u201d the president said. \u201cWhen it was built, it was built at a level that will probably never be seen again.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The plane features a new color scheme \u2014 red, white, gold and navy blue, a change from the two-toned lighter blues. It features the presidential seal on the left side and has a massive waving American flag on its tail.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The aircraft, designated by the Air Force as VC-25B, is expected to be a \u201cbridge\u201d aircraft in use between the aging Boeing 747-200s that have been used for more than two decades and the two new Boeing planes that were expected in 2024 but won\u2019t be ready until 2028.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Air Force said in a release that the plane will begin \u201ccommissioning flights,\u201d which are used as a \u201cfinal exam\u201d for aircraft modification.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Trump confirmed that he would be taking the new plane to the NATO summit in Turkey next month and to China when he goes back \u201cat some point,\u201d presumably to the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in November.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He praised the \u201cworkmanship\u201d of the plane, calling it a \u201cflying White House,\u201d and said his trip to France for the Group of 7 summit earlier this week was his last planned trip aboard the old Air Force One.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNow, when we land at airports in London, in Germany and different places, nobody tops this one, and that\u2019s the way we have to have it for our country,\u201d he said. \u201cNobody even comes close.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The new Air Force One will do a flyover on July 4, Trump said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He said the old plane traveled to 96 countries on 223 international trips and covered more than 6 million miles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt became the most famous airplane the entire world,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The first president to fly aboard the aircraft with tail number 29000 was George H.W. Bush in 1990.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It notably became an in-air command center for then-President George W. Bush during the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Trump administration officially accepted the luxury 747-800 jet from Qatar last May, a decision that was questioned and criticized over ethical and security concerns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Trump himself has said he will not fly it once he is no longer president and it will instead be a part of his presidential library.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Administration officials bid farewell to the aging Boeing 747-200s, or VC-25A, on social media.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWell done, good and faithful servant,\u201d White House communications director Steven Cheung wrote early Thursday on the social platform X, sharing a picture of the plane. \u201cThe Last Ride.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
White House deputy chief of staff Dan Scavino also bid the aircraft farewell with a video posted on social media.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI have been fortunate to fly around the world on this iconic plane for 5 \u00bd years \u2014 of the 35 years it has been serving the U.S. Presidents\u2026THANK YOU\u2026,\u201d he wrote.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The older Air Force Ones are not retiring, however.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
An Air Force spokesperson told NBC News last week the \u201cVC-25As will continue to serve in the executive fleet and could still be used by the president as Air Force One.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n