For more than 60 years, Air Force One has carried the President of the United States in a design instantly recognized around the world. The iconic light blue, white, and polished aluminum livery introduced during the John F. Kennedy administration is coming to an end.
The U.S. Air Force, through the Office of the Secretary of the Air Force Public Affairs, recently confirmed a new paint scheme for the executive airlift fleet. The updated design incorporates elements of President Donald Trump's previously proposed red, white, and navy blue concept. That proposal was rejected in 2022 under the Joe Biden administration after an Air Force thermal study found that the navy blue featured in Trump's design would additional add heat in some areas, requiring additional qualification testing by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for several of the aircraft components. Such testing would require additional engineering modifications, resulting in higher costs and delays. As of now, the Air Force has not released details explaining how those earlier concerns have been addressed in the new design.
The new livery will appear across the next generation of executive aircraft. Four C-32A aircraft — modified Boeing 757s commonly used for vice presidential travel — are scheduled to receive the redesign, with at least one already repainted during routine maintenance. In addition, a Boeing 747-8i acquired for executive transport and the two Boeing VC-25B aircraft currently under modification are expected to carry the new scheme. The VC-25Bs, based on the Boeing 747-8, are projected for delivery in mid-2028 and will eventually replace the existing VC-25A aircraft that have served as Air Force One since the early 1990s.
When asked about updating the aircraft's appearance, President Trump stated, "We want power blue, not baby blue… Everything has its time and place. We'll be changing the colors."
