Article Summary
President Donald Trump considers changing course on the Air Force One upgrade due to Boeing’s delay in delivering two 747 jets. Boeing had accepted a $3.9 billion fixed-price contract in 2018 to build the jets by 2024, but failed to deliver them on time. This paved the way for a deal with Qatar, as Trump expressed frustration and said the White House “may have to go a different route” to obtain a new Air Force One jet.
What This Means for You
- Boeing’s failure to deliver the 747 jets on time has caused the completion date to be extended to 2029, if not even later.
- Trump’s frustration with Boeing’s delay has opened the door to considering a $400 million jet from Qatar as an alternative.
- Despite setbacks, Boeing recently secured a major victory with a $96 billion deal involving the manufacturing of 210 jets with Qatar.
- Accepting a new Air Force One jet from Qatar would require extensive modifications, potentially costing up to $1 billion.
Original Post
Boeing’s mistake in thinking it could deliver two 747 jets for the White House was what prompted President Donald Trump’s interest in accepting a $400 million jet from Qatar.
Boeing in 2018 accepted a $3.9 billion fixed-price contract from the Air Force to build two customized 747-8s by 2024 but failed to deliver them, causing the expected completion date to be extended to 2029, if not even later, as first reported by Fox News.
This paved the way for a deal with Qatar, with a frustrated Trump saying in February that the White House “may have to go a different route” to obtain a new Air Force One jet.
For Boeing, the delay was one of many setbacks and mishaps that the airplane manufacturer has faced in recent years.
Despite these setbacks, Boeing recently scored a major victory on account of President Trump’s visit to Qatar.
The White House announced on Wednesday that Trump had successfully brokered a $96 billion deal between Boeing and Qatar involving the manufacturing of 210 jets.
Key Terms
ORIGINAL SOURCE:
Source link
