Trump’s Air Force Ones faces additional delays: Could Lufthansa sell the US a pair of Boeing 747-8s?
December 15, 2025
One of the longest-running sagas in recent aviation history is facing another twist. The two new Air Force One planes, ordered by the US Government in 2018, are likely to be delayed again, with delivery not now expected until mid-2028 at the earliest.
With the current two aircraft serving as the official transport for the sitting US President long past their original retirement date, it would appear that these aircraft are going to have to be retained in their current role for several more years.
Air Force One replacement Boeing 747-8s delayed again
As reported by Reuters, the US Air Force (USAF) announced on 12 December that the delivery of the two replacement Air Force One aircraft, based on the Boeing 747-8, had been rescheduled to mid-2028, pushing back the planned entry-into-service date by another year.
The aircraft were originally due to be delivered in 2024, but an extensive modification programme required to bring the planes up to the required standard has been beset with delays. With this further shift in the handover date, the aircraft will now be four years later than originally planned.
Current VC-25A Air Force One aircraft are over 35 years old
The existing aircraft that serve as Air Force One, two modified Boeing 747-200s, first entered service in 1990. In USAF service, these aircraft types carry the official designation of VC-25A and only use the Air Force One radio callsign when the President is onboard.
With a view to replacing these two ageing aircraft, in 2018 Boeing received a $3.9 billion contract from the US government to replace the VC-25s with two new-build planes based on the latest 747-8 (to bear the nomenclature VC-25B) for use as Air Force One.
The contract included the conversion of the basic airframes into Air Force One standard, with the addition of advanced communications and defence systems.
However, along with the lengthening delivery delays, the costs of the project have spiralled, with the current estimates of spending on the project to date exceeding the $5 billion mark, angering many in Washington and beyond, with President Donald Trump himself being publicly vocal in his criticism of Boeing in the past.
Despite the latest delay and the ongoing escalation in costs, Boeing said in a statement it is continuing to make progress on the program. “Our focus is on delivering two exceptional Air Force One aircraft for the country,” the company said.
Trump had been hoping to welcome the new jets into the Presidential fleet by the end of his second fixed term in office by early 2029. However, with the delays already reaching mid-2028, there now must be some doubt that this deadline will be missed, which will no doubt increase the president’s frustration over the entire project.
The Qatari royal family gifted a Boeing 747-8
As a tangible demonstration of his ire over the Air Force One saga, Trump himself accepted as a “gift” another Boeing 747-8 BBJ (Boeing Business Jet), formerly used by the Qatari royal family, in May of this year.
Planned by the president himself to act as a ‘stop-gap’ aircraft until the new VC-25Bs are delivered, the handover of this aircraft was shrouded in controversy and caused much consternation in US political circles as allegations of bribery and an abuse of power circulated in Washington and beyond.
However, Trump himself dispelled this story by stating on social media channel X that the aircraft would be exchanged as a “GIFT, FREE OF CHARGE”.
The VIP-configured Boeing 747-8(BBJ) was officially handed over by the Qatari royal family in July 2025. The aircraft, with the manufacturer’s serial number 37075, and formerly registered on the Qatari register as P4-HBJ, was transferred to the US civilian aircraft register as N7478D on August 5, 2025.
It subsequently flew from Alliance Fort Worth Airport (AFW) in Texas, where it had been in temporary storage, to Waco-James Connell Airport (CNW) in the same US state on August 8, 2025. It is reported to be under the custodianship of specialist provider L3Harris Technologies, which has been tasked to bring the aircraft up to Air Force One standard. The entry into service of the jet is currently scheduled for 2027.
The cost of the retrofitting program is said to be costing the US Treasury an estimated $400 million. The VIP 747-8 is expected to be transferred to Trump’s presidential library after he leaves office in 2028, being replaced by the new VC-25Bs.
Is Lufthansa also now offering a solution for Air Force One?
Adding to the rumours as to what happens next in the wider Air Force One saga, it has been reported by Air Data News that German carrier Lufthansa is planning to sell two of its 19 remaining Boeing 747-8s to the USAF.
The two aircraft, registered as D-ABYD and D-ABYG, are scheduled to exit the carrier’s fleet in January and later in 2026, and are 13 and 12 years old, respectively.
The two aircraft could potentially be converted into Air Force One aircraft, usurping the two planes that Boeing has been promising since 2018. The availability of two relatively young, well-maintained 747-8 airframes may have proved to be an attractive alternative to the USAF seeking to draw a line under the Air Force One debacle.
Lufthansa previously stated that there was an ongoing need to retain the 747-8 in its fleet into the next decade, and its planes have been undergoing a refurbishment programme accordingly.
Additionally, the airline is facing rising demand on its long-haul routes, while also being confronted with delivery delays to its Airbus A350 and Boeing 787 Dreamliner fleets, driving up the need to retain older aircraft in its long-haul fleet.
Therefore, the decision to offload two of the units without notice would seem unusual, unless there was a specific customer involved. However, the USAF has not yet made any specific comment on the rumours, adding to the mystery.
