Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
NOt plane sailing
Trump's Qatari-donated Air Force One is coming to Dublin, it's had a ropey start to its service
From ethical to security concerns, it hasn’t been plain flying.
WHEN DONALD TRUMP lands in Dublin Airport tomorrow morning, it won’t be the familiar Air Force One blue you may associate with US presidents past, or indeed Harrison Ford.
Instead, it will be the new red, white, navy and gold design that Trump first unveiled during his first term but which only came on stream this year.
When Joe Biden visited Ireland in 2023, the famous blue livery was still in place.
The colours on display are the least of the controversy surrounding Trump’s new plane, however.
Far more legitimate questions have been raised about the ethical origins of the plane, given it was donated by a foreign royal family, and its security, given that Trump had to switch planes during a recent trip to Turkey.
It was confirmed last week that this same plane will fly to Ireland despite the security concerns, so let’s run down all the controversies surrounding it.
Qatar
About four months into Trump’s second term, it was revealed that his administration was going to accept a luxury Boeing 747-8 jumbo jet as a gift from the ruling family of Qatar.
The move came after Trump complained about the condition of the two older Air Force One aircraft in service when he returned to office.
The donated plane, valued at $400 million, naturally raised major ethical and constitutional questions regarding gifts a US president may receive from foreign governments.
Trump brushed aside these questions, insisting that the Department of Defence was “getting a GIFT, FREE OF CHARGE” and that those objecting the plans were “world class losers”.
However, despite Trump’s claims, the plane was not free of charge.
Even if the plane itself was a gift, the US taxpayer still had to foot the bill for the upgrades required to meet security standards.
Trump again dismissed this, saying that the cost was ““very little relative to what it would cost if we did it a different way”.
The new plane first entered service on 1 July, when Trump flew on it from Joint Base Andrews near Washington to North Dakota.
Ahead of that flight, Trump said the United States “couldn’t build a plane like this” – despite the fact that the heavily modified Boeing 747-8 aircraft was originally made there.
“To be honest with you, I’m excited about the first flight. Nobody’s ever seen anything like it,” Trump told journalists travelling with him.
Decoy plane
Aside from the ethical concerns, the plane’s safety as the primary aircraft for the US president has also been the subject of recurring questions.
This came to a head during a recent incident in Turkey, where Trump had travelled to for a Nato summit, and where a number of incidents involving the plane took place.
The incident happened on 8 July, just one week after the plane entered service, but was not revealed until over a month later.
In August, numerous US news outlets, including The New York Times and The Washington Post, detailed a clandestine operation in which Trump boarded the new Qatari-donated plane only for him to secretly deplane from a different door, into a catering truck that took him to separate older aircraft.
The move was in response to a reported security threat from Iran involving a surface-to-air missile.
Trump had travelled to Turkey on the Qatari-donated plane but made the switch to the other plane before flying onwards to the UK.
Media watched and filmed Trump board this plane before they boarded themselves., leading to criticism that the media and other aides were essentially used as a decoy while Trump flew on another plane.
The Wall Street Journal reported Israel had briefed the US about a possible shoulder-to-air missile strike on Air Force One, adding that Secretary of State Marco Rubio was among senior officials and staff who remained on the plane.
The incident also sparked other questions when it was revealed that one of Trump’s aides, Natalie Harp, was one of the few people chosen to fly with him on the second plane.
Democrat Jon Ossof, a Georgia senator seeking reelection in November’s midterm elections, said the president wanted “travel with Natalie” instead of doing his job.
Much like the ethical concerns, Trump also sought to brush off security concerns about the new plane after the Turkey incident.
“They wanted me to go in a different flight, a different plane — equal safety, but they wanted me to do it, so I do it. I do what they say,” Trump said.
I guess there was a threat out there. I didn’t really ask too much about it.
Seemingly ignoring the reason why he would have been switched to a different plane in the first place, he added:
“I think actually the plane that I flew on was at greater risk. Because that would be the plane I think that — that they would be more likely to go for.”
The New York Times has previously reported that the new plane lacks the same security countermeasures boasted by the older jet, including anti-missile defences.
While US officials never disclose details, the older Air Force Ones are widely reported to have sophisticated countermeasures that can jam enemy radar and infrared tracking systems.
They also reportedly have dispensers for chaff — metal shavings that distract radar-guided missiles — and flares that blind heat-seeking missiles.
It is unclear which, if any of those measures are on the Qatari plane, although it lacks some of the specialised external equipment fairings that are visible on the older jets.
The White House defended the new plane’s safety.
“The new Air Force One is a state-of-the-art aircraft that has been fitted with high-level security protocols that ensure the safety of the President and his staff,” Communications Director Steven Cheung said in a statement to AFP.
“As the President has said recently, there are many enemies of America who have their sights on him, and we use every tool at our disposal to address those threats.”
Two years
As recently as Wednesday, fresh questions were being asked about the jet after an emergency inflatable slide accidentally deployed.
Trump, who was preparing to travel to a Republican Party convention in Dallas, had to wait in his helicopter before being able to board the plane following the incident.
A person briefed on the situation later told AFP that “military personnel accidentally triggered the slide.”
Even though the Qatari-donated plane is currently serving as the primary Air Force One for Trump it is only meant to be temporary, albeit for a lengthy period.
The plane is technically a stopgap until Boeing delivers two new purpose-built Air Force Ones, which are expected to be delivered in two years after a series of delays and cost overruns.
After that the Qatari-donated plane due to be donated to Trump’s planned presidential library, something which has also raised questions about whether Trump will have use of the plane after his second term is complete.
Trump and his new plane are expected to land at Dublin Airport tomorrow morning.
- With reporting by © – AFP 2026
have your say