An administration source tells ABC News that the Qatari-gifted Air Force One is undergoing interior "cosmetic upgrades," though it’s unclear if these include security enhancements as President Trump previously suggested. Given its $400 million value, the plane has raised ethical concerns among some lawmakers and experts due to being an unprecedented foreign gift. The upgrades could sideline the aircraft for up to 60 days, potentially missing upcoming international summits in November.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-02,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
President Donald Trump's recently gifted Air Force One, provided by the Qatar royal family and valued at $400 million, is currently undergoing "cosmetic upgrades" to its interior, according to an administration source. The process of upgrading the aircraft was initially mentioned by President Trump last month, who said it would take about 60 days for significant enhancements, including increased security measures. However, the current scope of work seems focused on cosmetic changes rather than security enhancements as previously indicated by Trump. Neither the White House nor the administration source clarified whether these upgrades include the promised security improvements or when the plane will re-enter service after the modifications are completed.
Written for “Air Force One Upgrade” on 2026-10-05,
grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.
Qatari-gifted Air Force One undergoing 'cosmetic upgrades,' administration source says
The administration official did not say whether security upgrades are included.
asserted
upgrades → gift → upgrades
The new Air Force One gifted to the U.S. by Qatar is currently undergoing "cosmetic upgrades" to its interior, an administration source told ABC News on Friday.
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source → gift → Friday
This comes after President Donald Trump told ABC's Rachel Scott last month that the new plane would be sent away to get "maxed out" with increased security measures this month and that the process would take about 60 days.
asserted
process → come → days
"It's going to be maxed out.
asserted
It → go → ?
Yeah, it's going to go away and -- to make magnificent plane.
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it → go → plane
Engines, the best," Trump told Scott at the time.
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Trump → tell → time
"[...] it has a lot of stuff, but to max it out, meaning you can go into any territory, it'll take about 60 days.
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it → have → days
And it's being sent in October to be maxed out."
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it → send → October
The administration source did not mention security upgrades and the White House did not immediately respond to questions about whether security upgrades will be included, when the project is expected to be completed or when the plane will return to service.
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plane → mention → service
The new plane, a gift from the Qatari royal family worth $400 million, has raised questions from some lawmakers and ethics experts over the unprecedented foreign gift.
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plane → raise → gift
Earlier this year, Trump called the jet, which is approximately 14 years old, "the world's most luxurious plane."
It is unclear the exact date the new Air Force One went into service, but Trump unveiled it in June.
uncertain
Trump → call → June
The last documented trip the Qatari-gifted jet made was Sept. 16 to North Carolina.
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jet → document → Carolina
The president has flown on the old Air Force One for recent domestic trips, including Thursday's visit to Texas and Oklahoma, to Chicago last Sunday for the Presidents Cup golf tournament, to Tennessee last Saturday for a college football game, and to the United Nations General Assembly in New York City on Sept. 21 and 22.
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president → fly → Sept.
Trump's trip aboard the new plane to the Republican midterm convention in early September was delayed after military personnel accidentally triggered one of the plane's emergency slides.
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personnel → delay → slides
If the president's 60-day timeline holds, the new Air Force One would be out of commission for travel to the ASEAN Summit in the Philippines and the APEC summit in China, which are both scheduled in November.
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which → hold → November
Trump has confirmed that he plans to attend APEC.
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he → confirm → APEC
The president flew on the Qatari-gifted plane to Ireland from Sept. 11 to 13, marking its first international trip since he secretly switched planes while leaving the NATO summit in Turkey in July amid threats against him from Iran.
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he → fly → Iran
At the time, sources told ABC News that the Secret Service had urged Trump to fly on the older Air Force One as a security precaution, and the New York Times reported in July that the new plane lacked the anti-missile capabilities the previous model has.
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model → tell → capabilities
U.S. officials had also told ABC that the decision was influenced in part by differences in the plane's security capabilities.
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decision → tell → capabilities
The White House defended the plane's safety at the time.
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House → defend → time
"The new Air Force One is a state-of-the-art aircraft that has been fitted with high-level security protocols that ensure the safety of the president and his staff," Steven Cheung, the communications director, said in a statement to the New York Times in July.
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Cheung → fit → July
"As the president has said recently, there are many enemies of America who have their sights on him, and we use every tool at our disposal to address those threats.
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we → say → threats
"
After news broke of the secret plane swap, Trump said the decision was made by the Secret Service and U.S. military.
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decision → break → Service
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