White House officials said goodbye on Thursday to one of the two planes that have been used to transport US presidents for more than 30 years.
According to AFP, the farewell messages have fueled speculation that the Boeing 747, a gift from the Gulf state of Qatar to President Donald Trump, is now ready to enter service.
he old US president's plane is actually one of two specially modified 747s, called VC-25A in military terminology.
They entered service in 1990 and are called Air Force One when the president is on board.
The White House did not immediately comment on the matter.
However, President Trump is reportedly considering the first flight of Qatar's new aircraft during a visit to Mount Rushmore next month in connection with the 250th anniversary of the United States.
The US Air Force said in May that the Qatari aircraft had completed its test flights and would soon be ready for use.
On Thursday, the US Air Force confirmed that the Qatari aircraft, known as the VC-25B bridge aircraft, will soon become part of the active presidential air fleet, joining the VC-25A and C-32.
The multimillion-dollar gift of the aircraft from Qatar has raised many ethical and constitutional questions about the types of gifts a president should accept from a foreign country.
At the same time, security concerns have also been raised about the safety of using an aircraft donated by a foreign power as a highly sensitive presidential aircraft.
Aircraft used as Air Force One have advanced defense systems that can disable enemy radar and infrared systems.
Billionaire President Trump has been eager to replace Air Force One since his first term, and even keeps a model of the plane in the new colors on his desk in the Oval Office.
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