Air Force has rejected the 17-month delay projection. This could change as Boeing negotiates a new schedule. The original delivery date of December 2024 was already sliding.
A Boeing spokesperson said that the company continues to work closely with Air Force personnel on a new approved baseline schedule.
Breaking Defense reported the delay in its first report. Part of the delay was caused by supply chain problems and the COVID-19 pandemic.
A spokesperson for the Air Force stated that Boeing had provided the Department of the Air Force a recommendation update to the VC - 25B schedule. However, they have not yet agreed on the length of the delay. "The program team is currently analyzing the schedule, before taking any formal contractual and program actions."
The Trump administration made an informal agreement with Boeing for the supply of the next generation of presidential planes in 2018. It was at a fixed price $3.9 billion. This informal agreement was reached after years of negotiations between Boeing, the Air Force and Donald Trump. It involved his personal intervention.
Two specially modified Boeing 747s are the current fleet. They were first used by President George H. W. Bush back in 1990. Since then, every president has been flown on these two planes.
