<p>Washington: The United States has accepted a 747 jetliner as a gift from the government of Qatar, and the Air Force has been asked to figure out a way to rapidly upgrade it so it can be put into use as a new Air Force One for President Donald Trump, a Defense Department spokesperson confirmed Wednesday.</p><p>The plane, which industry executives estimated is worth about $200 million, will require extensive work before it can be considered secure enough to carry Trump, Pentagon officials have acknowledged in recent days.</p><p>The plan has drawn concern from members of Congress, who worry that Trump will pressure the Air Force to do the work so fast that sufficient security measures are not built into the plane.</p><p>Trump and the White House have made clear the president wants it soon, perhaps even by the end of the year.</p>.US bill would give newborns $1,000 in ‘Trump Accounts’.<p>The gift also has drawn questions from both Democrats and Republicans in Congress, who worry that Qatar may be trying to improperly influence Trump or that the plane itself might have listening devices.</p><p>The new plane will be the third being retrofitted for use as Air Force One, replacing two planes that have been in use for 35 years and have had maintenance problems.</p><p>But maintaining the staff and equipment for three planes is extraordinarily expensive, an estimated $135 million a year for each plane, according to the Pentagon. And it could cost $1 billion or more to retrofit the Qatari plane to get it ready for use as Air Force One, a process that former Air Force officials said could take longer than finishing the job Boeing is already doing to deliver the replacements for the current two planes.</p><p>The first of the Boeing planes is scheduled to be delivered in 2027, Air Force officials recently said.</p><p>The Qatari plane had its first flight in 2012, and then it was renovated with a luxury interior for members of the royal family in Qatar. But the government there has been trying to sell the plane for about five years.</p><p>Marc J. Foulkrod, CEO of Avjet Global Sales, which tried to help Qatar sell the plane, said the United States would be better off working with Boeing to accelerate its work on the $3.9 billion contract to deliver the two 747 jets it has been working on for five years.</p>
<p>Washington: The United States has accepted a 747 jetliner as a gift from the government of Qatar, and the Air Force has been asked to figure out a way to rapidly upgrade it so it can be put into use as a new Air Force One for President Donald Trump, a Defense Department spokesperson confirmed Wednesday.</p><p>The plane, which industry executives estimated is worth about $200 million, will require extensive work before it can be considered secure enough to carry Trump, Pentagon officials have acknowledged in recent days.</p><p>The plan has drawn concern from members of Congress, who worry that Trump will pressure the Air Force to do the work so fast that sufficient security measures are not built into the plane.</p><p>Trump and the White House have made clear the president wants it soon, perhaps even by the end of the year.</p>.US bill would give newborns $1,000 in ‘Trump Accounts’.<p>The gift also has drawn questions from both Democrats and Republicans in Congress, who worry that Qatar may be trying to improperly influence Trump or that the plane itself might have listening devices.</p><p>The new plane will be the third being retrofitted for use as Air Force One, replacing two planes that have been in use for 35 years and have had maintenance problems.</p><p>But maintaining the staff and equipment for three planes is extraordinarily expensive, an estimated $135 million a year for each plane, according to the Pentagon. And it could cost $1 billion or more to retrofit the Qatari plane to get it ready for use as Air Force One, a process that former Air Force officials said could take longer than finishing the job Boeing is already doing to deliver the replacements for the current two planes.</p><p>The first of the Boeing planes is scheduled to be delivered in 2027, Air Force officials recently said.</p><p>The Qatari plane had its first flight in 2012, and then it was renovated with a luxury interior for members of the royal family in Qatar. But the government there has been trying to sell the plane for about five years.</p><p>Marc J. Foulkrod, CEO of Avjet Global Sales, which tried to help Qatar sell the plane, said the United States would be better off working with Boeing to accelerate its work on the $3.9 billion contract to deliver the two 747 jets it has been working on for five years.</p>