Why Trump Flew Home on the 'Old' Air Force One — and Yes, There Are Two of Them

President Donald Trump flew partway home from the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, aboard the "old" Air Force One — one of the two baby-blue Boeing 747s that have carried American presidents since 1990 — instead of the new Qatari-gifted jet he arrived in. According to reporting from The New York Times, NBC News and ABC News, the Secret Service urged the switch as a security precaution, a decision officials described as an "abundance of caution" as the U.S. and Iran traded fresh strikes. Officials did not detail any specific threat. And if your first reaction was "wait, there's more than one Air Force One?" — yes. There are two. Right now, arguably three.

Why Did Trump Fly the Old Air Force One Home From Turkey?

Trump landed in Ankara on the newly retrofitted Qatari-donated 747-8, painted in his preferred navy, red and gold scheme. But when it was time to leave, he boarded the older VC-25A in its classic baby-blue livery. NBC News reported the security decision was not prompted by one specific threat but was influenced in part by differences in the two planes' security capabilities — and ABC News noted that images of the Qatari jet suggest it is not yet fitted with some of the missile-detection and countermeasure systems the older jets carry.

The flight itself had war-zone fingerprints: consumer flight trackers briefly couldn't see the plane's transponder after takeoff — a measure normally reserved for ferrying presidents in and out of high-risk airspace — and both aircraft made a previously unscheduled stop at RAF Mildenhall in England. Trump himself told reporters passengers had been asked to keep the window shades down because they were "probably on a dangerous flight."

Wait — Does the US Have Two Air Force Ones?

Here's the part the cable chyrons skip: "Air Force One" is not a plane. It's a radio call sign for any U.S. Air Force aircraft with the president aboard. If the president boarded a C-130 cargo plane tomorrow, that C-130 would be Air Force One.

In practice, the call sign belongs to two identical, heavily modified Boeing 747-200Bs designated VC-25A, tail numbers 28000 and 29000. Two jets means redundancy: one can fly the mission while the other serves as backup, sits in maintenance, or is pre-positioned. Both flew the Turkey trip. Add the Qatari-gifted 747-8 that entered presidential service on July 1, 2026, and the U.S. is currently operating the most crowded presidential fleet in modern memory — three jumbo jets sharing one call sign.

How Old Is Air Force One, Really?

Older than most people reading this. The two VC-25As were ordered during the Reagan administration and delivered in 1990 under George H.W. Bush — tail 28000 first flew as Air Force One on September 6, 1990, and 29000 entered service that December. That makes them 36 years old: older than Google, older than the euro, older than every player on the U.S. World Cup roster.

They are also orphans of a dead production line — Boeing built its last 747 ever in 2023, which makes spare parts an increasingly expensive scavenger hunt. Still, the airframes remain remarkable: aerial refueling capability, hardened communications, room for 70-plus passengers, and the range to fly roughly halfway around the world without topping up.

What Happened to the New Air Force One? The VC-25B Saga

The "real" replacements — two Boeing 747-8s designated VC-25B — were ordered in a $3.9 billion fixed-price deal struck in 2018, during Trump's first term, with delivery originally targeted for 2024. That date has evaporated repeatedly. The Air Force now expects the first VC-25B in mid-2028 and the second in mid-2029 — roughly four years late — citing remaining risks in interior design work, wiring-bundle fabrication and rework of structural modifications.

The fixed-price contract has been a financial wound for Boeing, which has absorbed billions of dollars in losses on the program and added another $60 million to that tab in 2025. The delay is exactly why the $400 million Qatari gift jet — retrofitted by the Air Force in Texas since last September — was pressed into service as a stopgap in the first place, making its debut presidential flight to North Dakota on July 1, 2026.

Is Flying a 36-Year-Old Plane Safe?

Yes — and this week is the proof. The VC-25As may be the most pampered aging aircraft on Earth, maintained by the 89th Airlift Wing at Joint Base Andrews to standards no airline could afford. More to the point, they carry the full presidential defensive suite: missile warning and countermeasures, shielded communications and mid-air refueling. That is reportedly a core reason the Secret Service preferred the old jet for a departure from a region where American and Iranian strikes were flying. The age problem is a logistics and cost problem, not a safety one — when the threat picture darkened, the 1990 planes were the ones trusted with the president.

What Happens Next?

The Qatari jet isn't grounded — after the summit it headed to RAF Mildenhall and other U.S. bases in Europe for service members to tour, and it is expected to keep flying missions as its outfitting continues. The VC-25Bs remain on track — loosely defined — for 2028 and 2029. Until then, the two baby-blue 747s that have carried six presidents will keep doing what they did this week: sitting quietly in reserve, then getting the call when it matters most.

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