Trump switches back to old Air Force One, raising questions about Qatari jet
Asked if an assassination threat prompted the move, the US president did not answer directly but said: ‘I’m No 1 on the kill list for Iran’
US President Donald Trump unexpectedly left Turkey on Wednesday aboard an older Air Force One rather than the newly renovated Qatari-donated jet that brought him there, but later boarded the new plane in Britain for the flight to Washington.
The trip to Turkey for the Nato summit, the first international travel for the new plane, took place as hostilities escalated with Iran, a country that borders Turkey.
The unexpected plane switch followed months of scrutiny over the luxury gift intended to serve as a temporary replacement while Boeing struggled to deliver long-delayed next-generation Air Force One planes.
Critics have questioned the cost, security and pace of the retrofit.
Trump said on Truth Social that he would use an older baby blue Air Force One plane “for old time’s sake” to fly from Ankara to RAF Mildenhall in Britain while the new plane stopped at the same base so US service members stationed there could tour the aircraft.
After he greeted service members stationed there, Trump then boarded the new jet, and it promptly took off for Joint Base Andrews outside Washington.