MSGID: 2:292/854 13202c55
TZUTC: 0200                  
The construction of two new Air Force One aircraft, the American presidential
aircraft, has been delayed even further. Boeing now expects to be able to
deliver the jumbo jets in 2029 or later, according to business newspaper The
Wall Street Journal. The American president flies with two heavily modified
Boeing 747-200Bs, which were built in the late eighties and have now been in
service for 34 years. As a result, they are due for replacement. The 747-200
only flies in some poor countries as a freighter.
 
Boeing is therefore working on successors, based on two much more modern
747-8Is, once built for the bankrupt Transaero. But due to the highly advanced
safety systems that need to be installed, this is a very drastic job. And it
does not seem to be possible without a significant delay.
 
The intended delivery date has been postponed several times in recent years,
partly due to a bankrupt supplier. Now, not before 2029 is expected. By then,
Trump's successor will have already taken office. An American president may
only serve two terms of four years.
 
According to the Wall Street Journal, Trump, who is known as an aircraft
enthusiast, is quite frustrated about this. He would have liked to use the new
aircraft. He previously designed a new color scheme for the Jumbo jets, but
that was reversed under Biden.
 
However, Trump does seem to have negotiated very well about the costs of the
new Air Force One 747s during his first term as president. He agreed on a
fixed price, leaving Boeing to foot the bill for all cost overruns and now
incurring billions in losses on the project.
 
By the time the "new" Air Force One will be delivered, the actual airframes,
which were recovered from the Mojave desert in storage, will be 16 years old...

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