Some have cited security concerns regarding President Donald Trump's decision to use a Boeing 747 provided by the government of Qatar as Air Force One.

What's more, one Democrat lawmaker recently alleged that retrofitting the aircraft to serve as the president's official plane will amount to a financial disaster. 

Congressman: Plane will "cost well over $1 billion"

According to The Hill, that claim was put forward on Tuesday by Connecticut Rep. Joe Courtney during a meeting of the House Armed Services Committee.

Courtney pointed to the $3.9 billion contract awarded to Boeing in 2018 for the construction of two new Air Force One planes before remarking that "it’s clear that this new third plane is going to cost well over $1 billion."

"You can’t retrofit a plane that’s built for another purpose for Air Force One and expect it to be a free plane," Courtney continued.

"You’ve got to install encrypted communications technology, you have to harden the defenses, you have to put countermeasures in there. … It’s a flying situation room," he stressed.

Lower estimate emerges

The Democrat official went on to say it is "clear" that getting the Qatari plane ready for service "is going to be a drain on the Air Force’s budget."

Air Force chief: Qatari jet will cost less than $400 million to retrofit https://t.co/YvSI3MpMtS

— The Hill (@thehill) June 6, 2025

Yet that assertion received pushback from Air Force Secretary Troy Meink, who put forward a far more modest cost estimate.

"We believe the actual retrofit of that aircraft is probably less than $400 million," Meink told the committee members before pointing out that the Air Force has already taken spare parts into account.

Trump cites Boeing delay

Fox News reported last month that Trump justified accepting the Qatari plane by pointing to Boeing's delays in fulfilling its Air Force One contract.

"We're very disappointed that it's taking Boeing so long to build a new Air Force One," the president was quoted as saying during a press conference on May 12.

"You know, we have an Air Force One that's 40 years old. And if you take a look at that, compared to the new plane of the equivalent, you know, stature at the time, it's not even the same ballgame," the president insisted.

"When I first came in, I signed an order to get (the new Air Force One fleet) built. I took it over from the Obama administration, they had originally agreed. I got the price down much lower," he recalled.