The plane being a White Elephant gift is the funniest turn this saga could have taken

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17. Why The Qataris Are Happy To Dump Their 747 On Trump

Last edited Thu May 15, 2025, 03:56 PM - Edit history (1)

This plane has been on the market for five years and there are no buyers. This plane uses a ton of fuel and can only land on special runways. trump is bailing out a member of the royal family by taking a plane that is not marketable.

"Why The Qataris Are Happy To Dump Their 747 On Trump"

"There may be a simpler rationale: they just don’t want it anymore."

@jeremybogaisky.bsky.social for @forbes.com

— Zach Everson (@zacheverson.com) 2025-05-15T17:36:13.733Z

Why The Qataris Are Happy To Dump Their 747 On Trump"

"There may be a simpler rationale: they just don’t want it anymore."

Link to tweet

https://www.forbes.com/sites/jeremybogaisky/2025/05/14/qatar-747-trump

The royal family of Qatar, owner of one of the largest private jet fleets in the world, has been quietly getting rid of some of its biggest planes. It may have found the perfect taker for one of its Boeing 747 jumbo jets in President Donald Trump, who has been frustrated with the multi-year delays in replacing Air Force One.,....

The royals have failed to sell the plane, which was put on the market in 2020, according to an archived listing. Giving it away could save Qatar’s rulers a big chunk of change on maintenance and storage costs, aviation experts told Forbes. Making Trump happy would be an added bonus.

Qatar, which has given away another blinged-out 747 and may have mothballed two more, epitomizes the fading demand for these huge, fuel-guzzling, highly personalized airplanes. There aren’t many who want to buy them, and many of the governments and royal families who own them have been trying to ditch them over the past decade.

“Qatar, like many modern states, is shifting toward leaner, more versatile aircraft, which offer better economics and more discreet presence for official travel,” Linus Bauer, managing director of the Dubai-based aviation consulting firm BAA & Partners, told Forbes. Giving the plane to Trump would be “a creative disposal strategy” that marks “a farewell to a bygone model of geopolitical theater in the skies.”.....

Beyond poor fuel efficiency, large ostentatious planes are a security risk, notes Richard Aboulafia, an aerospace consultant with Aerodynamic Advisory. “These things are big targets.” And bigger planes can only land on longer runways, limiting their usage. “There are a lot more airports you can get into if you have a narrowbody, and many more still if you have a traditional business jet,” he said......

Giving the 747-8 to the U.S. would also allow the Qataris to avoid maintenance costs that are only getting higher with the 747 fleet shrinking worldwide and fewer mechanics available who know how to work on them, said John Goglia, a former airline mechanic and member of the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board. The 2020 sales brochure noted that the plane was due for a landing gear overhaul in 2024 and a 12-year check in 2027. A check in which the airplane and engines are taken apart, typically carried out every six to 12 years, can take months to complete and cost millions of dollars. “The numbers are staggering,” said Goglia.