Trump skips Qatar plane, uses old Air Force One to leave Turkey after NATO summit: ‘I’m number one on Iran’s list’ | Today’s news
US President Donald Trump used his old Air Force One to fly out of Turkey after attending a NATO summit on Thursday, rather than the new Qatar-gifted and retrofitted jet he used to fly to Ankara. According to US media reports, the new red, white and navy Air Force One flew without the president to Britain, where Trump is expected to make a stopover.
It was the first international flight of the “new” Air Force One, a $400 million luxury Boeing 747-8 donated by the Qatari royal family.
Trump said on his social network Truth that he was sending the new plane to Mildenhall Air Force Base so that service members would have a “chance to see the plane.”
“Everybody’s so excited and we thought they should be first. We’re going to take the former Air Force One from Turkey for old time’s sake,” Trump added.
The new Air Force One is not as safe as the old one
While no official explanation was given for the surprise change, it coincides with renewed hostilities between the US and Iran following the collapse of the ceasefire agreement.
According to a New York Times report, the change was made at the request of the US Secret Service “as a security measure”. It should be noted that although the retrofitted jet underwent extensive safety and communications upgrades between September 2025 and June 2026, it is not on par with the old Air Force One.
The New York Times, citing unnamed sources, said the new plane lacked some capabilities of the old plane, but that the change was not made because of a specific threat.
What Trump said
When asked about the threats, Trump avoided security questions but pointed out that he had been the subject of previous alleged assassination attempts by Iran.
“I talk about it a lot because the life of the president is very dangerous,” he said.
Later, aboard the new Air Force One, Trump told a reporter, “you’re probably on a dangerous flight because of the scumbags we have to deal with” — an apparent reference to Iran, whom he went on to refer to as “sick people.”
Asked if he was aware of a credible threat from Iran, Trump said only: “I have a threat all the time. I’m number one on their list.”
Qatar’s donation of $400 million
The Boeing 747-8 aircraft donated by Qatar was originally built as a Boeing Business Jet and delivered in April 2012. Despite being approximately 14 years old, the aircraft has only flown about 800 hours, with Trump describing it as practically “brand new”.
It is used as a “bridge” plane while Boeing’s own presidential planes are delayed due to technical problems and cost overruns. The original Air Force One has been in service since 1990 and is expected to be replaced by two all-new Boeing Air Force Ones later this decade.
