The US Air Force buys two Boeing 747-8 Jumbojets from the Air Force and pays 400 million dollars (about 340 million euros) for them. The first aircraft is expected to arrive in early 2026, the second delivery is scheduled for October next year.

“We have the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to obtain a very high resale price for these aircraft,” Lufthansa Airlines CEO Jens Ritter told Branchenangaben in an employee briefing. Both Aircraft are around 13 Years old.

The purchase is part of the modernization of the US presidential aircraft fleet. The aging 747-200 will be replaced by the newer and larger model 747-8, it is called by the Air Force. The two aircraft were to serve for crew training and as a spare parts source, as supplied by the Air Force.

Only Air China, Korean Air and Lufthansa use the 747-8 for passenger flights
The purchase is necessary because the 747-8 of Boeing is no longer actively produced and differs from the aircraft of the type 747-200 deployed in the presidential fleet. As of 2023, Boeing has ended production of the 747-8. At the moment, only Air China, Korean Air and Lufthansa are putting the model as a passenger car. Other operators use them for cargo flights.

The Air-Force-One program has struggled with delays and cost overruns since Boeing 2018 signed a fixed-price agreement over US$3.9 billion for the delivery of two modified 747-8 engines as a replacement for the airbags hat.