No more baby blue for US Air Force One: Trump to give a personal touch to the flight

Washington: A patriotic red, white, and blue colour palette championed by President Donald Trump will serve as the new livery for Air Force One and the broader executive airlift fleet, the U.S. military announced on Thursday.

The Air Force confirmed that a "red, white, gold and dark blue paint scheme" has been selected for the next generation of presidential aircraft, as well as smaller jets used to transport high-ranking government officials. The military released an official rendering of the design, which mirrors an aeroplane model frequently displayed in the Oval Office during the President's meetings with foreign dignitaries.

The redesign marks the end of the iconic light blue and white aesthetic that has defined the presidential fleet since the John F. Kennedy administration in the 1960s.

Reversing the Reversal

The shift concludes a years-long tug-of-war over the aircraft's appearance. In 2018, during his first term, Trump ordered the replacement of the "baby blue" design with a scheme featuring a white top, a dark navy belly, and a deep red stripe, a look closely resembling his personal private jet.

While President Joe Biden scrapped that plan in March 2023, citing an Air Force study that suggested darker colours could lead to overheating and increased engineering costs, the current administration has reinstated the change.

“Everything has its time and place. We'll be changing the colours,” Trump told reporters last month, advocating for a "power blue" rather than the traditional palette.

The Fleet Transition

Boeing is currently in the multi-year process of modifying two 747-800 aircraft (designated VC-25B) to replace the ageing 747-200 fleet. The Air Force noted that a third 747-8i will also receive the new patriotic colours.

The modernisation program has faced significant scrutiny over the last year:

• The Qatari Gift: In May 2025, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth formally accepted a luxury Boeing 747 donated by the government of Qatar. The move sparked intense ethical and legal debate on Capitol Hill regarding foreign gifts to the executive branch.
• Modification Costs: Air Force Secretary Troy Meink informed lawmakers last June that security retrofits for the donated Qatari jet would cost "less than $400 million," though specific details regarding the classified defence systems remain undisclosed.

The new livery will be applied to the aircraft during their scheduled modification and maintenance cycles. While the primary new jets are not expected to be fully operational until 2028, some smaller executive aircraft are expected to debut the updated look in the coming months.

With inputs from AP