White House bids farewell to old Air Force One, ready to debut Qatari jet

The new Qatari jet gifted to President Donald Trump will soon begin service in the president’s fleet, according to Air Force and White House officials.

Trump acquired the jet, dubbed the VC-25B Bridge aircraft by the Air Force, from Qatar earlier this year, and the Air Force has been preparing it to be used as the primary Air Force One at a facility in Texas since February.

An Air Force official confirmed to the Washington Examiner on Thursday that the “VC-25B Bridge aircraft will soon join the active executive airlift fleet alongside the VC-25A and C-32,” after two senior White House officials posted cryptic messages to social media following Trump’s overnight return flight to Joint Base Andrews from France.

White House communications director Steven Cheung posted a picture of the president’s plane just before 4 a.m., accompanied by a Bible verse and the caption “The Last Ride.”

Presidential Personnel Office Director Dan Scavino posted a video shortly after, thanking the jet for its years of service.

The White House did not immediately comment on when the Qatari jet would debut as Air Force One, but NBC News reported last week that Trump was considering taking his first flight on the new plane to Mount Rushmore for an event on July 3. Sources familiar said at the time that the plan had not yet been finalized.

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All three jets in the executive airlift fleet will soon be decked out in a new color scheme designed by Trump during his first term in office. The updates feature a darker blue underbelly, red strip banding the cabin windows, and a white top.

The VC-25B Bridge aircraft was already skinned in the new paint scheme. A jet bearing the updated Air Force One design was spotted at Joint Base Andrews late last month, although it was not immediately clear if it was the VC-25B or the C-32, a smaller craft used by the president to fly into certain smaller airports.