Trump shopping for used 'opulent' jet to replace Air Force One during aviation crisis

When President Donald Trump travels to the Middle East next week, he hopes to finalize a deal for Qatar to purchase 100 Boeing widebody jets—and for the U.S. to buy a used luxury jetliner, described as one of the most lavish in the world, previously owned by that nation's former prime minister, to replace an aging presidential Air Force One.

President Trump has said little about the mounting aviation crisis America is facing. As NCRM reported on Tuesday, the Trump administration has seen nearly double the number of aviation-related deaths in the U.S. during the first 105 days of his administration, compared to the same time period during President Joe Biden's first year in office.

There is an immediate crisis as well: a "communications breakdown last week that resulted in air traffic controllers losing radar and radio contact with the pilots of planes they were guiding into Newark Liberty International Airport," which "has happened at least two other times since August, a current veteran controller told NBC News," the network reported. "And at least eight or nine times in recent months, controllers lost radio contact with pilots flying into one of the nation's busiest airports, said the Newark airspace controller who asked not to be identified."

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Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates are looking to use "their aviation and defense industries to turn commercial deals into political capital," in negotiations that could be worth nearly $3 trillion, according to Bloomberg News.

"For the Middle East governments, the commitments are a tool to show their allegiance to the White House and curry favor with Trump. For his part, the US president wants to burnish his credentials as a consummate dealmaker, while allaying concerns about the robustness of global alliances after Trump’s drastic tariff announcements last month spooked international governments and investors."

Bloomberg also reports that an Air Force One "upgrade may figure into the proceedings in Doha. A private Boeing 747 jumbo that Trump toured in February, originally owned by a former Qatari prime minister, has emerged as an interim solution to the new Air Force One presidential planes whose nose-to-tail makeover by Boeing is years behind schedule."

It is unclear if the jets that carry the President of the United States are unsafe, or merely old and in need of an upgrade, or where President Trump is getting the funds to purchase and upgrade the Qatari jet, which once reportedly listed for $400 million. Also unclear is whether there would be any national security issues.

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The Wall Street Journal reports that a Florida-based defense contractor has been named "to ready an interim presidential plane by year’s end, said people with knowledge of the situation."

The Daily Mail posted photos of the proposed Air Force One replacement, noting that the Qatari-owned luxury jet boasts "leather furniture along with glimmering floors and ceilings," which match "perfectly with Trump's famously opulent taste in décor."

"The conference room has gorgeous tan and cream chairs with deep cushions that are adjustable with the push of a button. The corridors of the plane are lined with reflective, gold-colored walls that are reminiscent of Trump’s design choices at his own properties such as Trump Tower in Midtown Manhattan," and more recently, the Oval Office as well.

On board is a "conference room with deep cushioned chairs that are adjustable with the push of a button," and a "glimmering corridor inside the plane that jives with Trump's famous love for anything and everything gold."

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