{"id":5328,"date":"2026-07-09T15:07:05","date_gmt":"2026-07-09T15:07:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/?p=5328"},"modified":"2026-07-09T15:07:05","modified_gmt":"2026-07-09T15:07:05","slug":"security-concerns-prompted-trump-to-depart-turkey-on-older-plane-while-sending-qatari-donated-jet-ahead-officials-say","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/?p=5328","title":{"rendered":"Security concerns prompted Trump to depart Turkey on older plane while sending Qatari-donated jet ahead, officials say"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n President Donald Trump\u2019s decision to depart Turkey on an older plane while sending his new, Qatari-gifted jet ahead to England was driven at least in part by security concerns around the escalating conflict in Iran, according to four US officials.\n <\/p>

Read more Sick of Earth? NASA is recruiting volunteers for a yearlong Moon and Mars simulation<\/a><\/p>\n

\n Two of the officials said security personnel felt more comfortable with the president aboard the older vessel \u2014 which was built from scratch with the commander-in-chief\u2019s safety in mind \u2014 rather than the plane that had recently been retrofitted after it was donated by Qatar.\n <\/p>\n

\n While sources said there was no specific, new threat to Trump\u2019s life, the president had mentioned the possibility of an assassination attempt from Iran during the NATO summit, following fresh US strikes on the country that shares a border with Turkey.\n <\/p>\n

\n \u201cI\u2019m number one on the list for killing,\u201d he said.\n <\/p>\n

\n The New York Times previously reported on the security concerns. CNN has reached out to the White House for comment.\n <\/p>\n

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Trump unexpectedly takes Air Force One over Qatari-gifted jet\n <\/div>\n

Despite flying the new Qatari-gifted Air Force One to Turkey, President Donald Trump flew on the old Air Force One when he departed the NATO summit. CNN’s Kaitlan Collins reports.<\/p><\/div>\n

\n\n \n \n \n \n 1:52\n <\/span>\n \u2022 Source:\n \n CNN\n<\/span>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Trump unexpectedly takes Air Force One over Qatari-gifted jet<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\n The specific reason why the older plane was considered a safer option than the newer one was not immediately clear. Two sources familiar with the matter said the newer plane did not possess the same capabilities to ensure its safety in international settings, though a third said it was equipped with many of the same features as the older plane.\n <\/p>\n

\n \u201cThreat assessments change all the time,\u201d one source said.\n <\/p>\n

\n Before Trump left the NATO summit in Turkey, officials sent the Qatari-gifted jet ahead to England\u2019s Mildenhall Air Force Base. Trump said in a post on social media that the change in planes was simply to give US service members stationed at the base \u201ca chance to tour the Aircraft.\u201d\n <\/p>\n

\n \u201cEverybody is so excited, and we thought that they should be the first,\u201d he wrote.\n <\/p>\n

\n Trump then switched planes at a secure US airbase in the UK and offered mixed messages on the reason for the change of plans.\n <\/p>\n

\n \u201cThere wasn\u2019t a security concern, except we sent it a little early, same line going back. We sent it a little bit early, so that we could let them see,\u201d he said.\n <\/p>\n

\n But when asked why reporters aboard the plane were asked to lower their window shades on the ascent out of Ankara, Trump allowed that security concerns related to Iran could be a factor. He said Air Force One could be on a \u201cdangerous plane because of the sleaze bags we have to deal with.\u201d\n <\/p>

Read more Olympic canoeist David Hearn pleads not guilty to Reflecting Pool damage<\/a><\/p>\n

\n \u201cThese are sick people, so I could see something like that,\u201d he said, adding that he was unaware about the directive to press members to keep the shades down.\n <\/p>\n

\n The new jet, a gift from Qatar estimated to be worth about $400 million, has long generated legal, ethical and national security questions, though the Air Force has said it \u201cis safe, secure and equipped with the most advanced technologies necessary to meet the requirements of the presidential mission.\u201d\n <\/p>\n

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A look inside Trump’s new Air Force One\n <\/div>\n

CNN’s Betsy Klein was one of the first reporters aboard President Donald Trump’s new Qatari-gifted Air Force One. Take a closer look, with this rare insight at the aircraft\u2019s upgraded features, including a more spacious press cabin, lie-flat leather seats, redesigned interiors and a glimpse of the in-flight experience on the trip to Mount Rushmore.<\/p><\/div>\n

\n\n \n \n \n \n 1:17\n <\/span>\n \u2022 Source:\n \n CNN\n<\/span>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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A look inside Trump’s new Air Force One<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\n One official, who declined to comment on the specific highly classified systems typically onboard Air Force One, noted the 747 gifted by Qatar was largely seen by the military and Secret Service as having been \u201crushed\u201d into service.\n <\/p>\n

\n By contrast, the official noted two new jets acquired as part of a deal Trump renegotiated during his first term have faced serious delays and aren\u2019t expected to be ready until at least 2028. That\u2019s partially due to the host of classified communication and defensive countermeasures that must be affixed, comprehensive design requirements by the military and the time required to train pilots on the unique aircraft.\n <\/p>\n

\n \u201cThis was always considered a \u2018bridge plane\u2019 that the president would use until the other planes were fully loaded,\u201d a different source said of the Qatari plane, comparing it to the pair of new Boeing jets that have been in the process of being modified for years. The Qatari jet, by comparison, took only roughly a year and a half to modify, which concerned some security officials at the time.\n <\/p>\n

\n That source noted that in private conversations long before this trip, top White House officials had discussed using the older plane in potentially high-risk international travel, as opposed to the Qatari jet, if needed.\n <\/p>\n

\n \u201cThe new plane is perfectly safe for the president to fly on,\u201d the source said, but added that there are extra precautions needed when flying to high-risk areas internationally.\n <\/p>\n

\n The older plane that took Trump out of Turkey, a heavily-modified Boeing 747-200, has highly specialized capabilities, including mid-air refueling.\n <\/p>

Read more More than 1 in 5 social media users say they\u2019ve made health choices based on their feeds. How to use it wisely<\/a><\/p>\n

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CNN\u2019s Josh Campbell contributed to this report. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

President Donald Trump\u2019s decision to depart Turkey on an older plane while sending his new, Qatari-gifted jet ahead to England was driven at least in part by security concerns around the escalating conflict in Iran, according to four US officials.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5321,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5328","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-politics"],"yoast_head":"\nSecurity concerns prompted Trump to depart Turkey on older plane while sending Qatari-donated jet ahead, officials say - Relocation Times<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/?p=5328\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Security concerns prompted Trump to depart Turkey on older plane while sending Qatari-donated jet ahead, officials say - 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