President Obama will not benefit from his decision to upgrade Air Force One, but whomever the White House occupant is come 2023, he or she will need a new jet, the White House said on Monday.
Back in January, Boeing received the contract to build the next Air Force One — the designation applies to any plane on which the president travels but most people associate it with the Boeing 747-200Bs that usually fly him around the world. There are two of those, which have been in service since 1990.
Obama made the decision to go ahead with the upgrade project earlier this year. Boeing will deliver 747-8s modified to Air Force One specifications by 2023 at an estimated cost of $3 billion.
“[T]he plane that the president has right now serves him quite well … and he will miss flying on that plane,” White House spokesman Josh Earnest said in response to questions about the Presidential Airlift Recapitalization program on Monday. “And I think that’s an indication that the current Air Force One performs quite well and handles all of the responsibilities that are necessary for ensuring that the presidency can travel when the president does.”
But Obama had to think ahead, Earnest said.
“The president doesn’t need a new plane right now; but eight years from now, whoever’s president, they’re likely to need a new plane,” Earnest said.
The current Air Force Ones are three levels and span 4,000 square feet inside. The new ones reportedly will fly faster and be able to withstand the electromagnetic pulse of a nuclear explosion.
