BOEING DELAYS PUSH TRUMP TO CONSIDER BUYING A PRE-OWNED PLANE FOR AIR FORCE ONE
Donald Trump is considering buying a used Boeing airplane for Air Force One due to the delay in delivering his new Boeing airplane with heavy modification features.
Trump's option was to buy a secondhand Boeing aircraft and modify it to serve its purpose to Air Force One due to the plane-maker's delays.
The updated version of the Boeing 747-8 to VC-25B was delayed in delivery, which cost the loss of billions of dollars in the deal with Trump and Boeing.
Alternative Plane Manufacturers for Air Force One
Amid the delay in the delivery of the Air Force One plane and presidential use, Donald Trump started to look for an alternative as buying a used Boeing and customizing it due to the long delivery of their plane manufacturer, opting to buy a used Boeing plane at another counter or from another country.
Trump also said that he would not consider buying a used Boeing in the manufacture of Airbus, a European-based manufacturer of airplanes, because he doesn't want to support manufactured rivalry between European countries.
With the delay of the new Boeing version, Trump's contractual agreement with Boeing manufacturer deals might change, causing him to acquire a secondhand Boeing from another country.
Converting a Used Boeing Aircraft for Air Force One
Boeing declined Trump's statement to buy a new plane in response to production delays. Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg replied that in a recent week of interview with Elon Musk, they have been talking about making the delivery of Trump's ordered requirements for the plane faster.
"We may go and buy a plane and convert it," Trump said. With the underlying issue of Boeing, Trump's idea was to convert the used Boeing into a heavier and better modification feature.
Trump's idea of converting a used plane bought from another country would take a lot of process and time, but due to the growing delay tied to the agreement between Trump and Boeing, they don't have a choice but to try other alternatives, which is to buy a used plane and convert it.
Modification Requirements for a New Airplane
Trump dropped the new requirement for the next generation of planes, the VC-25B. The new generation plane is capable of air-to-air refueling, which is a huge comparison to the existing plane designed in the Cold War, the VC-25As.
On February 20, the CEO of Boeing, Kelly Ortberg, and Elon Musk worked to meet the requirements of VC-25B of Trump's preferences. VC-25B is a great new plane in service for Air Force One and presidential use, but the only long-term problem is the delay of its delivery.
Due to the U.S. president's demand for heavy modification, the manufacturer can't deny that the delivery delay is not the airplane itself but the modification of parts and features that made the plane heavier and more complex.
Boeing Is Losing Trump's Loyalty
Since Donald Trump supports American manufacturers and tends not to support rival manufacturers such as Airbus, the European manufacturer, Trump's loyalty to Boeing is gradually fading, resulting in favor of buying planes in other countries.
Trump's unexpected delay in delivering his new plane modification was not expected. Still, due to the growing and persistent delay in the delivery of the new modification, Trump's loyalty to the manufacturer was left in the lurch, causing the agreement and payment to change.
Suppose Boeing's error persists in the coming years. In that case, Trump's option might be to untie their alliance, given the negative impact the Boeing action had on the U.S. military Air Force One.
The president might disengage from their alliance, given the negative impacts of the Boeing delay.
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