We basically went to the moon in less than 7 years from Kennedy's promise in 1962 to the moon landing in 1969. Now we can't deliver two new 747 Air Force Ones in that time frame. No totally new airframe or jet engines. I can imagine the project manager looking over the delivery timeline and the wish list of must have items.
PM - This is quite a list of must have items. Can we like prioritize these so we can actually meet the time line?
Boeing Management - They are all top priority.
PM - Uh, who put this timeline together?
BM - A combined effort by our marketing and finance department.
PM - Uh, did you talk to engineering?
BM - Yes, this was vetted by our new Senior VP of Engineering, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.
Mounting Boeing Delays Suggest Trump Won't Fly In New Air Force One
by Tyler Durden Friday, Dec 13, 2024 - 05:50 AM
Aerospace giant Boeing warned earlier this year that supply chain snarls, persistent inflation, and workforce challenges have impacted the construction timeline of two new Air Force One presidential aircraft.
A new report from the
Wall Street Journal suggests that continued delays indicate President-elect Donald Trump will not get to fly in the new Boeing 747s during his second term, with the latest projections targeting 2029 or later.
Trump is frustrated with the delays. Here's more from WSJ:
Frustrated with the delays, Trump raised the project with Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg when the two men spoke by phone in November. As he prepares to return to the White House, Trump has repeatedly asked advisers about the status of Boeing's work. Boeing used to be a great American company, he has told aides, according to people briefed on the discussions. What happened to them? Trump has asked.
In 2018, during President-elect
Trump's first term, Boeing received a $3.9 billion contract to build two new 747-8 aircraft for use as Air Force One. The aircraft were supposed to be delivered by the end of this year.
Ted Colbert, head of Boeing Defense, Space & Security, spoke with Fox Business in July, revealing that supply chain, inflation, workforce, and other challenges in building the airplanes pushed out delivery timelines.
"Our team is fighting through a very, very challenging program – two very complex airplanes," Colbert said at the time, adding, "We've done a ton of investment in our workforce and training, efficiency, work on the factory floor."
In 2023, the Biden administration decided to reverse
Trump's decision to switch to a red, white, and blue scheme, from the current white with two shades of blue, a design that dates back to the Kennedy administration.
"The delay is startling given that Boeing isn't building the planes from scratch," WSJ noted.