WOEING: Boeing’s Air Force One program could be delayed until 2029, or later, senior official says.

The delays are frustrating, but not much can be done to speed delivery, the official told Reuters, noting that Boeing faced problems getting components since some manufacturers had gone out of business. Some requirements for the aircraft had also changed, given evolving potential threats, the official said.

Boeing had no immediate comment on the program, known as VC-25B. The first aircraft was slated for delivery in December 2024, but Boeing has pushed its delivery off until at least 2027 or 2028 – towards the end of Trump’s second term in office.

Breaking Defense in December reported that the presidential aircraft program faced new delays that could push delivery of the first jet to 2029 or later.

Asked about the report, the administration official acknowledged the fresh delays and the delay could stretch “years beyond” 2029. U.S. President Donald Trump has been deeply engaged with the program since his 2016 presidential campaign, extracting a promise from then-Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg to cap the program’s cost at $4 billion. Those fixed-price contract terms, questioned by analysts at the time and finalized in 2018, have cost Boeing over $2 billion so far.

The company seems to be snakebit.