Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg joined President Donald Trump in Qatar Wednesday for a signing ceremony for 160 new planes — but not the one the president really wants.
The much-discussed potential gift of a luxury Boeing 747 from Qatar did not come up during brief remarks celebrating the separate deal for Boeing to sell Qatar Airways 160 new jets.
Qatar’s Gift Proposal and Air Force One
Under a proposal endorsed by Trump this week, Qatar’s royal family would gift him their own Boeing 747-8 jet to replace the current planes used as Air Force One. The plan has roiled not only some GOP lawmakers but even some vocal MAGA influencers, who have called out the move.
The Qatari proposal came as Trump has separately been feuding with Boeing over delays in delivering him a new Air Force One.
“Get those planes out there. Get them out there,” the president said after Ortberg signed the agreement, making no mention of either the agreement with Boeing or the reported Qatari gift.
Boeing is currently modifying two Boeing 747 jets to meet the requirements needed for the planes to serve as Air Force One. Each plane costs more than $2.5 billion, with another $7.7 billion in projected long-term operations and support costs over 30 years, according to a 2021 internal Pentagon estimate.
Boeing projects the aircrafts will be delivered in 2027.
Trump’s Concerns and Qatar’s Response
Trump has long complained about the two aging Boeing 747s currently used as Air Force One, which date to former President George H.W. Bush’s administration in the early 1990s.
“We’re very disappointed that it’s taking Boeing so long to build a new Air Force One,” Trump told reporters Monday, before departing for his Middle East trip. “You know, we have an Air Force One that’s 40 years old. And if you take a look at that, compared to the new plane of the equivalent, you know, stature at the time, it’s not even the same ballgame.”
ABC News reported Sunday that the Qatari jumbo jet would be gifted to the U.S. for Trump to use as Air Force One and then donated to his presidential library foundation so he could use it after leaving office.
Qatar has denied the reports, saying the donation was under consideration by the Department of Defense and Qatar’s Ministry of Defense but had yet to be finalized.
Trump said in social media posts and a Fox interview broadcast Tuesday that wants to accept the plane for use during his presidency, without discussing whether he would seek to use it later. “Why wouldn’t I accept the gift?”
Agreements and Declarations
A defense agreement and another joint declaration were also signed during Wednesday’s ceremony at Amiri Diwan, which was hosted by Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, though details of those agreements were not immediately available.
It was unclear whether transfer of the Qatari 747-8 was part of the agreements.
“I think after signing these documents, we are going to another level of relationship between Qatar and the United States,” the Qatari leader said. “So I just wanted to thank you, Mr. President, for this historic visit.”
The ceremony was attended by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Steve Witkoff, U.S. special envoy to the Middle East.
