US President Donald Trump departed Turkey on Wednesday aboard his older Air Force One, sending the newly acquired Qatari-donated jet ahead to the United Kingdom. The decision, announced on his Truth Social platform, was framed as a gesture to allow service members at Mildenhall airbase to inspect the aircraft.
“Everybody is so excited, and we thought that they should be the first. For old time’s sake, we’ll be taking the former Air Force One, from Turkey,” Trump wrote.
The move came at the close of a NATO summit in Ankara, where Trump had threatened renewed strikes against Iran after the collapse of a ceasefire. Given Turkey’s border with Iran, the switch immediately prompted questions about whether the new jet lacked adequate security features for a high-risk return.
Security Questions Sidestepped
During a press conference, reporters pressed Trump on whether the change was linked to Iranian threats. The president deflected, instead discussing previous alleged assassination attempts by Tehran. “I speak about it a lot because the life of a president is very dangerous,” he said.
When asked directly why he was not flying on the new plane, Trump replied: “It’s flying to Europe to one of the big bases, two or three of the big bases, where we can show it to the people. And we’ll be going home by normal methods.”
The new 747-8 aircraft was donated by Qatar’s royal family last year after Trump complained about the aging state of the two existing presidential planes, which have been in service since 1990. It was rapidly retrofitted with security systems and made its first flight with Trump on 1 July.
The jet features a redesigned livery in red, white, and navy blue, replacing the traditional white and light blue scheme. Two new Boeing Air Force One aircraft are expected later this decade after repeated delays.
Critics have raised ethical, constitutional, and security concerns about the acceptance of a multi-hundred-million-dollar gift from a foreign power like Qatar. The episode also comes amid escalating trade tensions with Spain and broader debates within the alliance about burden-sharing.
Trump’s decision to send the new jet to the UK rather than use it himself underscores the unusual nature of the arrangement. While the White House insists the move was purely about troop morale, the timing—following Trump’s bellicose rhetoric on Iran—has fueled speculation that security gaps remain unaddressed.
