"Air Force One" bids farewell to the sky after 35 years of flying U.S. presidents... and the 'gift' plane from Qatar prepares

- After landing near the American capital, Washington, early Thursday morning, two officials at the White House posted farewell messages on social media for the modified "Boeing 747-200" - which has flown under the title "Air Force One" (the U.S. President's plane) since 1990 - coinciding with the nearing delivery of the first of three planes being modified to take on this mission. White House Communications Director Stephen Cheung wrote in a post on the platform "X" (formerly Twitter) accompanied by a picture of the plane - which the Air Force refers to as "VC-25A" - the phrase: "the final flight...

"Well done, you good and faithful servant." The Deputy Chief of Staff of the White House, Dan Scavino, also shared a video of the plane and expressed his gratitude, saying: "I was lucky to travel around the world on this iconic plane for 5 and a half years - out of 35 years spent serving American presidents...

Currently, three "747-800" aircraft are being modified to become "VC-25B" in order to take on the duties of "Air Force One", including a luxury aircraft donated by the Qatari government to bridge the gap between the old planes and the two additional aircraft that Boeing is working on modifying, which will not be ready for about two years. The fate of the old "VC-25A" aircraft is still unclear, as the Air Force stated in a statement that they will remain part of the fleet.

A spokesman for the Air Force stated to "Afaq News": "The VC-25B aircraft designated to fill the gap will soon join the active executive airlift fleet, alongside the VC-25A and C-32 aircraft." The "C-32" is a modified version of the "Boeing 757" and is often used to transport the Vice President of the United States, the First Lady, and ministers, and it sometimes replaces "Air Force One" when necessary.

Sources mentioned to Afaq News that the Qatari aircraft is expected to be delivered "no later than the summer of 2026." This comes after more than a year of scrutiny and skepticism from lawmakers of both parties, as well as some security officials who criticized Trump's acceptance of this expensive gift and expressed concerns about potential security vulnerabilities.

The aircraft needed to undergo significant modifications to become a suitable replacement for "Air Force One," according to sources for Afaq News. It was expected that American intelligence and security agencies would dismantle the aircraft and reassemble it to equip it with the necessary security and communication equipment.

The current fleet of "VC-25A" aircraft is over 3 decades old and has long faced criticism and ridicule from Trump, who wanted new planes. The aircraft with the number "29000" landed at Joint Base Andrews on Thursday morning after carrying Trump on his trip to Europe.

The other "VC-25" aircraft has not been spotted flying since it landed at Majors Airport in Greenville, Texas, on June 2, according to the flight tracking site "ADS-B Exchange." This airport is the same location where the donated Qatari aircraft is being converted for use as a new presidential plane.

The Air Force began modifying the donated aircraft last summer, and aircraft watchers spotted the plane sporting a new paint scheme chosen by Trump earlier this month. The new planes will feature colors of red, white, gold, and dark blue; a color scheme that was proposed during Trump's first term but was canceled by the previous administration of President Joe Biden in favor of the traditional (light blue and white) presidential aircraft scheme. With Trump's re-election, the preferred color scheme for the planes was reinstated.

The last flight of the modified Qatari aircraft was on June 10, where it made a short circular flight and returned to land at Majors Airport - its point of departure - according to data from the "ADS-B Exchange" site. Troy Mink, an Air Force official, previously stated to lawmakers that the cost of equipping the donated aircraft would "likely" be less than $400 million.

A statement issued by the Air Force last month indicated that the aircraft has officially completed its modifications, and that it "is on schedule to be revealed in its new colors of red, white, and blue this summer." The statement added: "Ultimately, this transitional aircraft meets an urgent short-term need, ensuring that the Air Force continues to carry out its vital mission - which is non-negotiable - to serve the Commander-in-Chief, while laying a solid foundation for the future.",

It is still unclear when the aircraft will be transferred to Washington or the fate of the two older aircraft once the new one enters service. However, the older planes have a rich history, having visited many countries around the world, from Iraq and Cuba to China and Australia.

On September 11, 2001, former President George W. Bush's participation in an event at an elementary school in Florida was cut short following the attack on the south tower of the World Trade Center in New York City, where he was swiftly transported to one of the "VC-25A" aircraft. This aircraft took him to an Air Force base near Shreveport, Louisiana, and then to a fortified shelter at an airbase in Nebraska, and later transported him to Washington, D.C., where he delivered a speech to the nation hours later.

The aircraft also transported both Presidents Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter, as well as George H.W. Bush, on a flight to Israel to attend the funeral of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin in 1995.