First Lady Melania Trump laughs as she watches US President Donald Trump cut with a saber right into a cake representation of the brand new Air Force One design through the Commander-In-Chief inaugural ball on the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, DC, on Jan. 20, 2025.
Patrick T. Fallon | AFP | Getty Images
Boeing is working with Trump advisor Elon Musk on ways to deliver delayed, overbudget Air Force One replacements sooner, CEO Kelly Ortberg said Tuesday.
The pair of Boeing 747s that can function the subsequent Air Force One aircraft are greater than $2 billion over budget and years late, which the corporate has attributed to design changes, labor constraints and provide chain problems. President Donald Trump struck a deal for the aircraft during his first term, after threatening to “cancel order!” before he took office in 2017, complaining about high costs.
“We have been engaged with Elon” on the Air Force One program to eliminate costs and deliver the aircraft earlier, Ortberg said in an interview with CNBC’s Phil Lebeau on “Squawk on the Street” on Tuesday, after Boeing released full-year results and its 2025 outlook.
It shouldn’t be clear whether the aircraft shall be delivered before Trump’s current term is up. An Air Force spokesperson told CNBC that an updated delivery schedule from Boeing is predicted within the spring.
Trump cut a cake adorned with a model of Air Force One — in a latest paint scheme — with a sword at his Jan. 20 inaugural ball.
Musk, whose company SpaceX competes with Boeing’s space unit, has worked closely with Trump in recent months. The billionaire can be heading Trump’s commission that he tasked with reducing government spending.
Musk and the White House didn’t immediately comment.
“The president wants those planes sooner so we’re working with Elon to see what can we do to drag up the schedule of those programs,” Ortberg said.
Boeing within the last quarter took $1.7 billion in pretax charges in its defense and space unit, including for the Air Force One program. Ortberg, who became CEO in August, replaced the pinnacle of that business in September with an internal, interim leader.
