Prez Trump vents at Boeing, suggests 'different route' for Air Force One

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By Hadriana Lowenkron

  President Donald Trump said he “may have to go a different route” after repeated delays have prevented Boeing Co. from delivering the next generation of planes to serve as Air Force One. 

“They can never finish the damn thing,” Trump said Wednesday evening during a conference hosted by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund in Miami. “I’m getting two of them, actually. But we may have to go a different route, because it’s taken them a long time.”

 

Trump was personally involved in negotiations with Boeing for new versions of the planes - which have been in service for three decades — during his first term, and the Air Force has already committed to paying Boeing $3.5 billion toward the project.

 

Yet the effort has been beset by delays. The first of the 747s should have been ready to ferry Trump at the start of his second term, but Boeing has struggled with the technical complications of retrofitting two existing aircraft, as well as parts shortages and worker turnover. To bring the project in at a lower cost, the Trump White House agreed to drop some features, like the capacity to refuel the four-engine jumbo in mid-air. 

 

Over the weekend, Trump took time to tour a Boeing 747 plane parked at Palm Beach International Airport that registration data showed had been previously owned by the Qatari royal family. 

 

The New York Times reported Wednesday that aides had discussed whether a luxury jet could be acquired and refitted while Boeing continued construction. But doing so would likely mean sacrificing significant communications and security measures.

 

Boeing shares fell as much as 1.7 per cent after the Times report earlier Wednesday.