Donald Trump plans to use the Boeing 747 jet gifted by Qatar for his trip to Ireland next week, marking the first international flight of the plane since security concerns were raised after the NATO summit in Turkey in July 2026 [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8].
The Qatari Boeing 747 was handed over to the United States in 2025 as an interim Air Force One after delays to the new custom-built presidential planes [1, 2, 3, 4, 6]. Trump used the plane for his attendance at the July NATO summit in Turkey but was secretly transferred back to an older plane for his return amid a credible missile threat reportedly from Iran [1, 2, 6, 7].
The gifted plane currently lacks full anti-missile defense systems comparable to the older Air Force One fleet, raising security questions [1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7]. White House officials have declined to provide detailed information on upgrades but emphasized a "consistent posture that ensures a safe, secure, and reliable capability for the President" [1, 2, 5, 6, 7, 8]. A senior administration official described it as "the greatest presidential plane ever built" despite current limitations [1, 8].
Trump has called the aircraft "the world’s most luxurious plane" and "a magnificent plane". He confirmed on September 4 that the plane will be sent for comprehensive security upgrades in October, about 60 days after the Ireland trip, to be "maxed out" with capabilities to fly into any territory [2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8]. He said, "It’s gonna be maxed out. Yeah, it’s going to go away, and it’s a magnificent plane. It has a lot of stuff, but to max it out – meaning you can go into any territory – it’ll take about 60 days, and it’s being sent in October to be maxed out" [2].
Trump is expected to make a short visit to Dublin followed by attendance at his family golf course in Doonbeg for the Irish Open [2, 5, 7, 8].
The timing of the security upgrades has drawn some disagreement. Trump originally said in July upgrades would take about one month, but now the schedule has doubled with delayed work starting in October and lasting roughly 60 days [2, 5, 7, 8]. Other officials have said the timeline for modifications remains unclear and have declined to specify how long they will take [1, 6]. The estimated cost for the upgrades is around $400 million [1, 6].
The next concrete step will be the extensive security upgrade planned for October, aimed at bringing the Qatari gifted Boeing 747 to top-level defensive standards suitable for any international territory [2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8].
