Key takeaways:
- Trump is expected to take the Qatari-gifted Boeing jet to Ireland in mid-September for the Irish Open at his Doonbeg golf course.
- The plane’s last overseas use was disrupted after U.S. officials received intelligence about a credible plot to fire a missile at Air Force One during Trump’s NATO trip to Turkey.
- Trump said the aircraft would be “maxed out” starting in October, a process he said would take about 60 days.
President Donald Trump plans to use the Boeing jet gifted by Qatar for a trip to Ireland in mid-September, U.S. officials said, a move that would put the aircraft back on an overseas route after security concerns disrupted its last foreign journey.
Multiple U.S. officials told CBS News that Trump will take the Qatari plane to Ireland, where he plans to attend the Irish Open at his golf course in Doonbeg. The Washington Post first reported that Trump was expected to use the aircraft for the trip.
The flight would mark the first time the plane has gone overseas since Trump traveled to Turkey for a NATO summit in July. During that trip, CBS News reported, the Qatari jet was flown ahead to the United Kingdom after U.S. officials received intelligence about a credible plot to fire a missile at Air Force One. Trump then secretly switched planes when leaving Ankara, a maneuver first reported by The Washington Post and later confirmed by CBS News.
The Guardian reported that Trump was moved via a catering truck to a separate, older aircraft after officials learned of a possible Iranian threat in Ankara, while the plane he had boarded continued on as a decoy. The Guardian said Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, senior aides and the traveling press pool were aboard the original flight, and that the journalists were not told about the threat and were asked to keep their window shades closed.
The episode has renewed questions about the aircraft’s protective capabilities. The Guardian reported that the jet, described as a $400 million “palace in the sky,” was converted for presidential use after two custom-built Boeing aircraft intended to serve as Air Force One were delayed for years. Those replacement planes are designed with elaborate missile-defense systems, the Guardian reported, while it has not been confirmed that the Qatari aircraft matches those defenses.
Trump told reporters after the NATO trip that the new Air Force One would be “maxed out.” Karoline Leavitt, then the White House press secretary, said in a statement that enhancements would be made to the plane and would take about a month, with the work taking place in the fall.
On Friday, Trump said the Qatari jet would be “maxed out” starting in October, in a process expected to take about two months.
“It has a lot of stuff. But to max it out, meaning you can go into any territory, it’ll take about 60 days,” he said.
The administration declined to comment on what upgrades or modifications have been made since the Turkey trip.
“We don’t comment on specific upgrades or modifications to Air Force One. We maintain a consistent posture that ensures a safe, secure, and reliable capability for the President of the United States and routinely evolve the capability as required to maintain that posture,” a senior administration official told The Guardian. CBS News reported a similar statement from a senior administration official.
The same official told The Guardian: “It is the greatest presidential plane ever built.”
Trump said in March, during a meeting with Taoiseach Micheál Martin, that “it was a great honor to be chosen” to host the Irish Open and that he would try to be in Ireland to watch. He is expected to meet with Martin and possibly with Irish President Catherine Connolly, the taoiseach indicated recently. CBS News reported that Trump is expected to continue using the Qatari aircraft regularly for domestic travel.
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