Photo: Alamy
White House officials bade farewell to the historic Air Force One, the modified Boeing 747-200 used by presidents since 1990 to make way for three new aircraft.
“The last ride,” White House communications director Steven Cheung wrote Thursday in a post to X, sharing a picture of the plane. “Well done, good and faithful servant.”
“I have been fortunate to fly around the world on this iconic plane for 5 1/2 years — of the 35 years it has been serving U.S. Presidents,” White House Deputy Chief of Staff Dan Scavino wrote in a separate post to X, sharing a video of the plane. “THANK YOU….AIR FORCE ONE 2900.”
The outgoing plane will be replaced by three new aircraft being modified for the role, with the first—a Qatari-gifted VC-25B Bridge aircraft—set to be delivered soon, becoming the new primary Air Force One model.
President Donald Trump acquired the Qatar model earlier this year, and the Air Force has been preparing to deploy it as the primary aircraft, according to the Washington Examiner.
The other two 747-800 crafts are being developed by Boeing, CNN reported, although the timeline of their debut is still unknown.
The new planes will feature red, white, gold, and dark blue, a scheme proposed during the president’s first term.
The Biden administration later scrapped the plans in favor of the traditional light blue and white paint job. However, after President Trump was reelected in 2024, his preferred color pattern was returned to the planes, per CNN.