Trump unveils new Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews

US President Donald Trump has unveiled the new Air Force One aircraft, a Boeing 747-B gifted by Qatar, at Joint Base Andrews in the state of Maryland. It will begin commissioning flights before entering presidential service in early July.

On Friday afternoon, Trump toured the luxury jumbo jet formerly owned by the Qatari government that has been transformed into the official US presidential aircraft. It will serve as a temporary Air Force One until the two new Boeing jets being built are ready in 2028, while the current planes, known as VC-25As, are expected to remain in service, according to authorities. During a ceremony at Joint Base Andrews, the home base of the presidential fleet.

Trump thanked the 250 people who worked to prepare the plane for service. He crowed that it was converted into a flying White House at a level of luxury that "nobody has ever seen before,"

adding the most noticeable change is the aircraft's larger size.

Donald Trump said, "The workmanship of this plane is... when you see it, you won't believe it actually. The quality of woods, the quality of the materials, the quality of the engines. These engines are the finest and the best in the world. Nothing like it. So it's really an honour. And I want to thank the emir of Qatar."

The newly outfitted plane eschews the Kennedy-era robin's egg blue exterior of the old plane

with its tail fin featuring a massive American flag. Trump noted he loved the flag's wavy design. His trip to the G7 Summit in France was the last planned trip aboard the old Air Force One.

He signalled he would be taking the jet to the NATO Summit in Turkey next month and return to China "at some point," presumably a reference to the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit to be held in Shenzhen in November.