INSIDE TRUMP'S 'PALACE IN THE SKY'

This luxurious intercontinental jumbo jet will be the US president's new Air Force One

- WORDS AILSA HARVEY

In May 2025, the president of the United States accepted a gift from Qatar's royal family to the current US administration. That gift was a Boeing 747-8 jet, which will replace Donald Trump's current Boeing 747-200B plane while he waits for the upgraded Air Force One aircraft to be ready to fly. Air Force One is not the name of a specific aircraft, but a general call sign used to refer to any Air Force aircraft the president is travelling on.

The sizable jet is suitable for its role in providing space for home, office and leisure facilities in the sky while the president is on the move between continents. In addition to the jet gifted to the Trump administration, brand-new Air Force One planes are also being built. But building a new presidential plane, with the extensive security features needed to keep the president safe, takes a few years.