VC-25B Bridge Aircraft Arrives At Joint Base Andrews

The Air Force’s VC-25B Bridge aircraft has arrived at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland and will begin commissioning flights before entering the active executive airlift fleet.

Commissioning Flights Begin

According to the Air Force, the aircraft was delivered to the Presidential Airlift Group after receiving final government modifications and a new red, white and blue paint scheme. The commissioning flights will be used to validate the aircraft’s mission capability and finalize operating protocols before the aircraft is approved for presidential transport. Once complete, the Air Force said the VC-25B Bridge aircraft will join the VC-25A and C-32 fleets for executive airlift missions.

“From the beginning, we meticulously evaluated every requirement to accelerate delivery while maintaining the high standards expected of the presidential mission,” Secretary of the Air Force Troy Meink said. “This effort proves that the U.S. Air Force can move fast without sacrificing quality, security, or reliability.”

The Bridge aircraft is a former head-of-state Boeing 747-8i from Qatar. The Air Force has said the aircraft is intended to reduce demand on the VC-25A fleet while the Boeing-built VC-25B replacement program continues.

In May, the service said the Bridge aircraft had completed modification and flight testing and had entered the paint phase ahead of a planned summer 2026 rollout. The Air Force also said the long-term VC-25B aircraft are now expected in 2028.

The program has also included an Atlas Air 747-8F leased for pilot qualification training, one former Lufthansa 747-8i used as a training aircraft and a second former Lufthansa 747-8i added to the parts supply chain, according to the Air Force.

Fleet Transition

The aircraft’s arrival follows questions about the status of VC-25A tail number 29000, one of the two 747-200-based aircraft currently used for presidential airlift. White House officials posted farewells to the aircraft after it returned to Joint Base Andrews from Europe last week, describing the trip as a final flight.

The Air Force has not announced the retirement of either VC-25A. The service has said the Bridge aircraft will be added to the executive airlift fleet alongside the VC-25A and C-32 aircraft. The current VC-25As entered presidential service in 1990 and have flown every president since George H.W. Bush.