US sets new Air Force One delivery date for mid-2028

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The Air Force pushed back the estimated delivery date for the first of two new Air Force One jets by another year to mid-2028, giving Boeing Co. even less wiggle room to meet President Donald Trump’s demand to get plane by the end of his term.

The Air Force offered the latest estimate in a statement that said the timeline “is the result of continuing discussions between Boeing and the Air Force.” Boeing had earlier proposed delivering the plane in 2027, three years later than an originally contracted date of December 2024.

The updated timeline likely won’t please Trump, who in his first term directed the Pentagon to pay $3.9 billion for a pair of Boeing 747-8s to serve as the next generation of Air Force One. But the service and Boeing have grappled with a string of technical obstacles, including flaws in the cockpit and passenger windows, cracked fuselage structures and excessive noise.

“They can never finish the damn thing,” Trump complained in February.

The White House did not immediately comment on the delay on Friday afternoon.

Darlene Costello, the Air Force’s acting acquisitions chief, told a House Armed Services subcommittee hearing in May that Boeing was proposing the 2027 timeline but “I would not necessarily guarantee that date.”

Separately, Boeing was awarded a $15 million modification to its $4.3 billion fixed-price Air Force One contract for an upgraded communications system. The capability allows the presidential jet “to keep pace with mission requirements that have evolved since the program baseline was established,” the service said.