Trump says he will use old Air Force One to travel to UK with new plane going there too

by Mike Stone

WASHINGTON, July 8 (Reuters) – President Donald Trump said on Wednesday he would fly an old Air Force One plane from Türkiye to the United Kingdom “for old times’ sake,” while the new plane supplied to the United States by Qatar would visit the same base in the United Kingdom, according to a post on Truth Social.

Trump said the newly overhauled Air ‌Force One will fly to RAF Mildenhall in the United Kingdom so U.S. service members stationed there can tour the aircraft.

The new aircraft is a Boeing 747 gifted to the United States by Qatar last year and refitted by defense contractor L3Harris Technologies.

The jumbo plane was painted in red, white, navy blue and gold colors chosen by Trump, marking a departure from the iconic design used on Air Force One for decades.

“Everyone is so excited and we thought they should be the first,” Trump wrote, adding that outgoing Air Force One would travel from Türkiye to Mildenhall “for old times’ sake.”

The acceptance of the Qatar jet had led to investigations. Retrofitting the luxury jet requires security upgrades, communications improvements to prevent eavesdropping and missile defense capabilities, experts said.

(Reporting by Mike Stone in Washington; Editing by Philippa Fletcher)