From Bush to Trump: Iconic presidential aircraft takes its final flight

As President Donald Trump stepped off Air Force One after returning from France in the early hours of Thursday, he was also bidding farewell to a remarkable chapter in American aviation history.

The journey marked the final official mission of the Boeing 747-200B aircraft known by its military designation, SAM 2900, a flying symbol of the American presidency that has transported US commanders-in-chief across the globe for nearly four decades.

Senior White House officials commemorated the moment with photographs of the iconic blue-and-white aircraft parked on the tarmac at Joint Base Andrews, describing the flight as the jet's "last ride" after 35 years of presidential service.

"I was honoured to be aboard Air Force One last night on its final flight," US chief of protocol Monica Crowley wrote on X.

"For nearly 40 years, it carried every president since George H.W. Bush. It wasn't the most modern plane, but it was cosy. And every flight with President Trump was incredibly special. Farewell and thank you, SAM 2900. You served all of us well."

White House communications director Steven Cheung echoed the sentiment, posting a photograph of the aircraft accompanied by the words: "'Well done, good and faithful servant.' The Last Ride."

The retirement of SAM 2900 closes a significant chapter in presidential travel. Since entering service during the administration of George H.W. Bush, the aircraft has carried successive presidents through moments of diplomacy, crisis and history-making events, becoming one of the most recognisable aircraft in the world.

Yet its farewell also signals the beginning of a new transition.

While many associate "Air Force One" with a specific aircraft, the term is actually a radio call sign used for any US Air Force plane carrying the sitting president. The retiring Boeing 747-200B is therefore not "Air Force One" itself, but one of the aircraft that has carried that designation whenever the president was on board.

Its successor, at least temporarily, will be a heavily modified Boeing 747 gifted by Qatar and recently cleared after extensive refurbishment and flight testing by the US Air Force.

The Qatari aircraft differs significantly from the ageing presidential jet it will replace. While SAM 2900 entered service decades ago and retained the classic "Jackie Kennedy" livery — the elegant robin's egg blue-and-white design that has symbolised the American presidency since the early 1960s — the new aircraft has been repainted in a striking red, white and blue colour scheme championed by Trump.

Unlike the retiring jet, which spent decades serving multiple administrations, the Qatari aircraft is intended as a bridge platform until two next-generation VC-25B presidential aircraft currently being developed by Boeing enter service.

Pentagon officials have told lawmakers that modifications to the Qatari jet have cost less than $400 million, a fraction of the roughly $5.6 billion programme underway to deliver the future presidential fleet.

According to reports, Trump is considering making the aircraft's inaugural presidential flight next month during a visit to Mount Rushmore as part of celebrations marking America's 250th anniversary.

Once it begins carrying the president, the aircraft too will assume the famous Air Force One call sign during those flights. The Air Force, however, will formally designate the aircraft as the VC-25B.

For aviation enthusiasts and presidential historians alike, the retirement of SAM 2900 represents more than the replacement of an aircraft. It marks the sunset of a jet that witnessed the end of the Cold War, the rise of the digital age and some of the most consequential moments in modern American history.

As the veteran Boeing made its final landing at Joint Base Andrews, it brought down the curtain on nearly four decades of service at the very heart of the American presidency.

With agency inputs