How Air Force One stacks up to the Qatari 747, Trump's coveted 'palace in the sky' President Donald Trump says Air Force One isn't as impressive as some of the planes of the leaders of Qatar ...

In 2021, the Air Force disclosed it cost approximately $177,843 per flight hour to operate its two Air Force One jets. Inflation can account for only part of the staggering rise in costs.

“Air Force One costs over $2 billion a piece so there’s almost a factor of 10 difference in the cost of just the airplane and what it takes to make it into an Air Force One,” the person said.

Boeing could deliver the new Air Force One jets by 2027, an Air Force official said. That would allow Donald Trump to use them while he is president.

In addition to the Air Force One work, its San Antonio base performs C-17 Globemaster cargo aircraft depot-level maintenance and upgrades to F/A-18 Super Hornet and F-15E fighter jets.

The new docu-drama and hype film “Air Force Elite: Thunderbirds” from director Matt Wilcox dropped to Netflix subscribers on May 23, 2025.