How Air Force One stacks up to the Qatari 747, Trump's coveted 'palace in the sky'

WASHINGTON ― President Donald Trump says Air Force One isn't up to snuff.

When helium lands and looks implicit astatine the planes of the leaders of Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates sitting connected the tarmac, helium says his statesmanlike thrust doesn't compare.

"This is similar a wholly antithetic plane," Trump told Fox News commentator Sean Hannity this week aboard Air Force One during his travel to the Middle East. "It's overmuch smaller. It's little impressive."

Yet arsenic Trump plans to judge Boeing 747-8, often dubbed a "palace successful the sky," from Qatar's royal household ‒ a $400 cardinal overseas acquisition that would beryllium the largest ever to a U.S. president ‒ the exterior differences mightiness not leap disconnected the leafage for the casual flyer.

Plane negotiations: Trump successful talks to judge luxury pitchy from Qatar's royal family

The Qatari level stretches 18 feet 4 inches longer than Air Force One, tin transportation much value and alert somewhat faster and farther. It's besides 22 years newer than Air Force One, built successful 1990. Both planes clasp astir the aforesaid fig of passengers and person the aforesaid height.

But the Qatari level separates itself astir visibly with its lavish wrong amenities ‒ creamy achromatic and tan leather furnishings, rugs and artwork designed by the famed French interior plan steadfast Cabinet Alberto Pinto, according to Bloomberg.

Trump has portrayed the pitchy arsenic an aging relic and the Qatari level arsenic a severely needed upgrade. "We're the United States of America," Trump said. "I judge that we should person the astir awesome plane."

But if converted to Air Force One, the Qatari plane's wrong would person to beryllium wholly stripped, scrubbed for surveillance exertion for information reasons and efficaciously rebuilt, Republicans lawmakers connected committees that oversee the nation’s equipped services and quality agencies told the Wall Street Journal.

Trump has complained that Boeing has been excessively dilatory to implicit a caller Air Force One aft his archetypal medication successful 2018 awarded the institution a $3.9 cardinal declaration to physique 2 caller Air Force One jets. CNN reported the caller planes could beryllium delivered by 2027 ‒ 2 years earlier than the astir precocious predicted day and earlier Trump's 2nd word ends. (The Air Force operates a 2nd Air Force One jet, besides a Boeing 747-200B bid aircraft, deployed successful 1991.)

More: Fighter jets, chandeliers, a Cybertruck: See the pomp of Trump's Middle East visit

Trump's thought is for the Qatari level to service arsenic the impermanent Air Force One until Boeing finishes gathering the caller versions. The level would past spell to his aboriginal statesmanlike library.

Democrats and different critics of the determination reason accepting the level could interruption the Constitution's Emoluments Clause, which bars immoderate U.S. authoritative from accepting “any present” of “any benignant whatsoever, from immoderate King, Prince, oregon overseas state.”

The White House has countered that the level is simply a gift to the U.S. Air Force, not Trump personally.

The White House has not released accusation astir the Qatari level that Trump covets. But the quality work Semafor tracked the process fig of the level erstwhile it was parked astatine Palm Beach International Airport successful South Florida this summer. The fig matches a Boeing serial fig of a level elaborate successful a 16-page "aircraft specification summary" by the Swiss steadfast AMAC Aerospace

It's unclear whether the Qatari level has undertaken accommodations since the summary was posted successful 2023.

Here is simply a comparisons of the Qatari level versus Air Force One based connected publically disposable information:

Boeing 747-200B v. Boeing 747-8

Air Force One is simply a Boeing 747-200B, which has accrued substance capableness and much almighty engines than the modular 747-200. Boeing archetypal started serving the exemplary successful 1972.

Air Force One has upgrades from a modular 747-200B that see peculiar physics and communications equipment, a self-contained baggage loader, beforehand and aft air-stairs and the capableness for in-flight refueling.

The Qatari level is simply a Boeing 747-8, a widebody craft with lengthened fuselage and redesigned wings, according to Boeing. The exemplary went onto the marketplace successful 2011.

Ages of planes

The existent Air Force One level was completed successful 1990 and has served six presidents: George H. W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Barack Obama, Joe Biden and Trump, some successful his archetypal and 2nd non-consecutive terms.

The Qatari royal household purchased the Boeing 747-B successful 2012, the aforesaid twelvemonth it was built. The plane's interior was refurbished and it began work successful 2015.

Qatari level tin alert farther

In summation to being longer and a spot taller, the 747-B owned by Qatar besides has a wider helping span: 224 feet, 5 inches, compared to Air Force One's 195, 8 inches.

The Qatari 747-8 tin besides alert farther without refueling. Air Force One tin alert astir 7,751 miles without needing to refuel. That's equivalent to a formation westbound from Washington D.C. to Tokyo.

The 747-B has a maximum take-off value of 987,000 pounds, compared to 833,000 pounds for Air Force One.

More: 'This is what they telephone perfecto': Gulf monarchies bring A-game to Trump charm offensive

Inside the rooms connected Air Force One

Air Force One has astir 4,000 quadrate feet of interior level space, according to accusation from Boeing and the U.S. Force.

That includes an enforcement suite with quarters for some the president and archetypal woman (equipped with a dressing room, lavatory and shower), a league and eating room, an bureau country for elder unit members, an country that tin person into a aesculapian facility, arsenic good arsenic sitting areas for the statesmanlike unit and Secret Service, Air Force crews and traveling members of the press.

Air Force One besides contains 2 galleys that tin supply 100 meals astatine 1 sitting, precocious multi-frequency radios for air-to-air, crushed and outer communications and state-of-the-art navigation, physics and communications equipment.

The level has six rider lavatories.

Inside the Qatari plane

The interior of the Qatari level has a much modern plan with chic pick achromatic couches, seats and rugs, photos of the level show.

Artwork from the precocious American sculptor Alexander Calder is featured throughout, according to Bloomberg, on with custom-made Tai Ping rugs, sycamore and wacapou wood fixtures.

The layout includes a maestro bedroom, impermanent bedroom, a backstage hallway for the enforcement residence, an precocious platform lounge country with a agelong leather sofa facing a ample level surface television, further loung areas with oversized leather seats, a backstage bureau and respective galleries.

Amenities see electrical model shades, h2o systems that let blistery and acold h2o for each descend and shower, a integer amusement and crippled system, on with blase sound, tv and broadband net systems.

The level has 9 lavatories for passengers successful summation to 1 lavatory successful the chamber suite and different successful the impermanent bedroom.

This nonfiction primitively appeared connected USA TODAY: Air Force One vs the Qatari 747: How they compare