Trump says new Qatari-gifted Air Force One will be sent for upgrades

US President Donald Trump said Sunday that his new Qatari-gifted Air Force One jet would be sent away for about a month to be “maxed out,” after reports raised security concerns about the aircraft following a trip to Turkey.

Trump took his first flight on the retrofitted Boeing 747-8 on July 1. Questions followed after he returned home on an older jet from a NATO meeting in Ankara on July 10. The New York Times reported that the new aircraft did not have the same security countermeasures, including anti-missile defences. Its reporters were later subpoenaed by the Trump administration.

Asked why he was still using a plane without full defensive capabilities, Trump told reporters that the aircraft had “a lot of capability,” but that he understood it would be sent in about a month to be “maxed out.” He said the work would take about a month, but did not give details about what changes would be made. He was speaking after flying back to Washington from the World Cup final in New Jersey.

Trump, 80, has previously played down suggestions of problems with the aircraft. He earlier said he had sent it ahead from the Turkey summit to an airbase in Britain so service members could see it.

Qatar’s royal family donated the luxury airliner last year after Trump complained about the condition of the two ageing jets that have served as the US presidential plane since 1990. Critics have raised ethical, constitutional and security concerns about a foreign power such as Qatar giving the United States an aircraft worth hundreds of millions of dollars.

The aircraft has a Trump-designed livery in red, white and navy blue, replacing the previous white and light blue design. Two new Boeing Air Force One aircraft are due to be delivered later this decade after delays and cost overruns.