Trump to take Qatar-gifted Air Force One to Ireland before security upgrade

Donald Trump plans to take Qatar's lavishly gifted Boeing 747 to Ireland next week, even though the aircraft still awaits a major security upgrade. The trip will mark the jet's first foreign journey since a security scare in Turkey.

Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, Trump said the aircraft would be sent for additional work in October. "It's gonna be maxed out. Yeah, it's going to go away, and it's a magnificent plane," he said. He added that making it capable of flying into "any territory" would take about 60 days.

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It's gonna be maxed out. Yeah, it's going to go away, and it's a magnificent plane.

The new timetable is twice as long as the month Trump initially cited when he announced the modifications on July 19. The White House declined to comment. A senior administration official told AFP that the United States maintains a safe, secure and reliable presidential capability and regularly updates it as required.

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It has a lot of stuff, but to max it out, meaning you can go into any territory, it'll take about 60 days, and it's being sent in October to be maxed out.

The aircraft, donated by Qatar's royal family in 2025, entered service with Trump at the end of June after the U.S. military retrofitted it. Trump called it the "world's most luxurious plane" and a "flying White House," but critics questioned the decision to accept such an expensive gift from a foreign power.

The rapid modifications reportedly left the plane without anti-missile security systems. During Trump's departure from an Ankara summit, an apparent plane switch followed an Israeli warning about a possible missile threat. Trump later said he had secretly moved to another, smaller aircraft while the old Air Force One left with journalists and senior aides. He expects the Qatar-gifted jet to go to his planned presidential museum after he leaves office in 2029, although Boeing expects to deliver the first of two purpose-built replacements in 2028.

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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.