Trump to fly to Ireland on Qatari gift plane

Trump to use $400M Qatari gift plane for international trips despite security concerns

The decision comes after Trump said in July that the plane would be taken out of service and ‘maxed out’ with additional security upgrades

President Donald Trump plans to fly to Ireland next week on the Boeing 747 donated by Qatar, despite concerns over its security and unfinished upgrades, a senior White House official told The Independent.

The trip, set for September 12 and 13, will mark Trump’s first international journey on the Qatari jet since U.S. officials secretly moved him to another plane while departing July’s NATO summit in Turkey after intelligence indicated a potential Iranian threat.

“We don’t comment on specific upgrades or modifications to Air Force One,” a senior administration official told The Independent. “We maintain a consistent posture that ensures a safe, secure, and reliable capability for the President of the United States and routinely evolve the capability as required to maintain that posture.”

The jet has undergone hundreds of millions of dollars in modifications, including upgrades to its security and communications systems. But security experts raised questions to The New York Times over whether it has all the advanced defensive capabilities of the older presidential aircraft, which are equipped to protect the president from threats including missiles.

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