US officially accepts plane donated to Trump by Qatar
The United States has officially accepted an airplane donated to US President Donald Trump by the government of Qatar. This was announced by Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell, according to the newspaper The New York Times.
The Air Force has been tasked with finding a way to modernize it so it can be used as the new Air Force One for the president.
"Secretary of Defense Pete Hagel accepted the Boeing 747 from Qatar in accordance with all federal rules and regulations," Parnell said.
He added that the Pentagon will work to ensure that the proper security measures are in place and that the functional requirements are met for the aircraft used to transport the US president.
The plane will require a lot of work before it can be considered safe enough to transport Trump, Pentagon officials admitted in recent days.
"Any civilian airplane would require significant modifications to do this. We're not looking at what's required for this particular aircraft right now," US Air Force Secretary Troy Meinke said during a Senate hearing on Tuesday.
The plan has raised concerns among members of Congress, the NYT reports. They fear that Trump may pressure the Air Force to modernize the aircraft too quickly.
The journalists noted that the Defense Ministry has not given an estimate of when the Qatari jet might be completed, although Trump and the White House have made it clear that the US president wants it done soon, perhaps even by the end of the year.
- on May 12, 2025, it became known that the Trump administration is preparing to accept from the Qatari royal family a very luxurious Boeing 747-8, which will temporarily serve as the new Air Force One.
- According to Politico, in fact, this is not such a gift for American taxpayers.
