Air Force One begins commissioning flights, final step before presidential use

Nearly two weeks after a red, white and blue paint job , Air Force One was delivered to the Presidential Airlift Group.

The Qatari-donated Boeing VC-25B Bridge aircraft arrived at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, and will begin its initial commissioning flights, the U.S. Air Force announced Friday.

“Fresh from receiving its new red, white, and blue livery and the final government modifications, the aircraft has entered service to provide critical, secure continuity for the commander in chief,” the release reads.

The Air Force announced the interim presidential aircraft is on track for its summer delivery in May. The move to use the aircraft donated by Qatar followed President Donald Trump’s dissatisfaction of Boeing’s delay to replace the current Air Force One aging planes with the new VC-25B aircraft.

The initial timeline for the replacements was 2024, but a lack of properly cleared workers and supply chain issues pushed the date back to 2028.

The delivery of the Bridge aircraft is meant to relieve pressure on the aging fleet until the long-term VC-25B enters service, the release says.

The aircraft underwent security modifications to ensure it was suitable for a president, and Secretary of the Air Force Troy Meink told lawmakers in June 2025 that it would cost less than $400 million to modify.

For the modification’s “final exam,” it must complete commissioning flights that allow White House officials to validate mission-capability and finalize protocols required for the president’s safe and secure transportation, the statement says.

Once the flights are completed, then the aircraft is considered officially “commissioned” into the active executive airlift fleet and will be available for the president’s use alongside the VC-25A and C-32 fleets.

The Air Force has not clarified the specific type of security modifications the aircraft completed, but the service did note in the announcement that it was altered in a “disciplined engineering approach” that prioritized rigorous safety requirements.

The Bridge aircraft is equipped with advanced technologies, with the previous interior layout minimally changed.

Pilots and maintainers began training last October with the lease of an Atlas Air 747-8F and then a purchase of a Lufthansa 747-8i to serve as a full-time training resource for the entire crew.

On top of the aircraft used for training, a three-dimensional mock-up of the Bridge aircraft’s interior was delivered to the White House in January so staff could begin familiarizing themselves ahead of the first commissioning flight.

“Many thought it could not be done, but the United States Air Force was able to execute and provide a secure, reliable airborne command post on an accelerated timeline,” Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Ken Wilsbach said in the release.

The Air Force did not say how many commissioning flights the aircraft is set to complete or when Trump is expected to take his first flight in the new Air Force One.

This news comes after the VC-25A, which Trump was previously using, took its last flight Thursday, according to a social media post by a Trump administration official.

Cristina Stassis is a reporter covering stories surrounding the defense industry, national security, military/veteran affairs and more. She previously worked as an editorial fellow for Defense News in 2024 where she assisted the newsroom in breaking news across Sightline Media Group.

在完成红、白、蓝三色涂装近两周后，“空军一号”交付给了总统空运集团。

美国空军周五宣布，卡塔尔捐赠的波音VC-25B“桥梁”飞机已抵达马里兰州安德鲁斯联合基地，并将开始首次试飞。

新闻稿中写道：“这架飞机刚刚完成红、白、蓝三色涂装和政府的最终改装，现已投入使用，为三军统帅提供至关重要的安全保障。”

美国空军宣布，临时总统专机预计将于五月按计划交付。此前，由于波音公司迟迟未能用新型VC-25B飞机替换目前老旧的“空军一号”，特朗普总统对此表示不满，因此决定启用卡塔尔捐赠的这架飞机。

最初的更换时间表是 2024 年，但由于缺乏合格的工人以及供应链问题，日期推迟到了 2028 年。

新闻稿称，交付 Bridge 飞机旨在缓解老旧机队的压力，直到长期使用的 VC-25B 投入使用。

为了确保这架飞机适合总统乘坐，对其进行了安全改装。空军部长特洛伊·梅因克在 2025 年 6 月告诉立法者，改装费用将低于 4 亿美元。

声明称，为了对改装进行“最终检验”，必须完成调试飞行，以便白宫官员能够验证任务能力并最终确定总统安全可靠出行所需的协议。

一旦飞行任务完成，该飞机即被视为正式“服役”加入现役行政运输机队，并将与 VC-25A 和 C-32 机队一起供总统使用。

空军尚未明确说明该飞机完成了哪些具体的安全改装，但空军在公告中指出，改装采用了“严谨的工程方法”，优先考虑严格的安全要求。

Bridge飞机配备了先进技术，而之前的内部布局变化很小。

去年十月，飞行员和维护人员开始接受培训，他们先是租赁了一架阿特拉斯航空的 747-8F，然后又购买了一架汉莎航空的 747-8i，作为全体机组人员的全职培训资源。

除了用于训练的飞机外，1 月份还向白宫交付了 Bridge 飞机内部的三维模型，以便工作人员在首次试飞之前开始熟悉飞机内部。

“许多人认为这不可能做到，但美国空军能够在加快的时间表内执行并提供一个安全可靠的空中指挥所，”空军参谋长肯·威尔斯巴赫将军在新闻稿中说。

空军方面没有透露这架飞机计划完成多少次试飞，也没有说明特朗普预计何时乘坐新的空军一号进行首次飞行。

据特朗普政府官员在社交媒体上发布的消息，特朗普此前使用的VC-25A飞机于周四进行了最后一次飞行。

克里斯蒂娜·斯塔西斯是一位记者，主要报道国防工业、国家安全、军事/退伍军人事务等领域的新闻。她曾于2024年在《防务新闻》担任编辑助理，协助Sightline媒体集团旗下新闻编辑室处理突发新闻。