Boeing: We are proceeding to deliver two presidential aircraft to the US in 2028

Boeing said on Sunday that it remains on track to deliver two new aircraft to the U.S. presidency in 2028, but clarified that achieving this goal will require additional spending on a program that is already years behind schedule and billions of dollars over budget.

Boeing won a $3.9 billion contract in 2018 to build the two aircraft, but costs have since risen to more than $5 billion.

The two new planes are scheduled to replace the current presidential aircraft, which entered service in 1990.

Steve Parker, CEO of Boeing’s Defense, Space & Security division, told journalists ahead of the Farnborough Airshow in the UK, “We are on track (to deliver the two aircraft) in 2028,” adding that he expects the first plane to begin flight testing next year.

He added, “We expect some cost increases as we progress with the work, complete the connections and structures, and finalize our certification.”

Since then, the aircraft has been in service on a transitional basis. U.S. President Donald Trump decided not to return from Turkey on the Air Force One jet due to security concerns, opting instead to return aboard an older presidential aircraft.