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The two Boeing 747-200s that have served as presidential transport will both be retired in 2029 as long-awaited replacements should come into service.
The Pentagon recently released a budget plan outlining planned aircraft retirements, including its schedule for divesting the two VC-25As that have served the flying White House role since 1990.
Under the new schedule, both will be retired in fiscal 2029 as the U.S. Air Force and Boeing have said they expect delivery of the new 747-8-based VC-25Bs in 2028. Additionally, the 747-8 donated by the government of Qatar to serve as a “bridge aircraft” to the new fleet is expected to be delivered this summer. However, that aircraft has undergone significantly limited modifications compared to the VC-25Bs so it is not clear if it will serve the full, international Air Force One role or remain confined to American airspace.
The plan outlines cost savings of $8 million in fiscal 2027 on procurement; $95.9 million in personnel, operations and procurement in fiscal 2028 and $2.23 million in 2029 on operations costs.
“The VC-25B engineering design is being finalized, meeting the first major milestone of the new schedule and building confidence in on-time delivery. Consequently, all cost savings will be reinvested into the replacement capabilities,” the document states.
Additionally, the Air Force has outlined other changes to its VIP fleet under the budget plan. Four 737-based C-40C Clippers will be retired in 2028, along with eight Gulfstream C-37As and C-37Bs over the next five years. The service expects to field a new C-37C in its fiscal 2027 plan.
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