Delivery of new Air Force One planes has been delayed again

Washington CNN — Boeing’s delivery of two new Air Force One planes has been delayed again, the Air Force announced Tuesday, with the completion of the first of the new presidential planes not expected for at least another four years. “The new objective delivery date to the Presidential Airlift Group for the first aircraft is September 2026 and the second aircraft is February 2027, a 24-month delay from the original contractual dates; and the new threshold dates are September 2027 for the first aircraft and February 2028 for the second, a 36-month delay,” the Air Force said in a statement. The military said in its statement Tuesday that the delayed delivery was due to a number of factors, including “impacts from the Covid-19 pandemic, interiors supplier transition, manpower limitations, wiring design timelines, and projected test execution rates.” The Air Force also said that until the new planes are delivered, it “remains postured to keep” the current two presidential planes “available and mission-ready.” After running into a host of issues while building the planes, the deal proved to be a regrettable one for the airline builder, with Boeing CEO David Calhoun saying earlier this year that the $3.9 billion contract that Boeing signed to build the planes was a mistake for the company, given the losses it is now incurring. He said the 2018 deal with the Air Force included “a very unique set of risks that Boeing probably shouldn’t have taken.” The former President, with his deal-making persona, took an unusually hands-on approach to the Air Force One deal.