President Donald Trump is pressuring Boeing to ensure it promptly delivers the next Air Force One.
Earlier in February, he toured a Boeing plane to "check out the new hardware/technology," Steven Cheung, the White House communications director, told Reuters and the Associated Press.
"This highlights the project's failure to deliver a new Air Force One on time as promised," he added.
The tour took place on a Boeing 747 parked at West Palm Beach International Airport. Photos show Trump's motorcade parked next to the jet.
Speeding up the delivery of the presidential jet appears to be a key target for Trump.
Boeing was first tapped in 2015 to deliver two new presidential aircraft, known as the VC-25B — an upgraded, militarized version of the 747-8.
In his first term, Trump renegotiated the contract with Boeing over concerns about escalating costs. He threatened to cancel the program if it exceeded $4 billion.
The president appeared enthusiastic about the new planes, showing ABC his red, white, and blue livery design in 2019.
It was initially set to be delivered in 2024, but the timeframe has been pushed back to 2027 or 2028.
Since returning to office, Trump has continued to signal his passion for the new Air Force One.
At his inaugural ball, Trump cut a cake adorned with a model of the jet in his original livery design.
Last month, Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg said the planemaker was working with Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency to accelerate the program.
"The president wants the airplane sooner, and so we're working with Elon and the team to figure what can we do to pull up the schedule of that aircraft," Ortberg said.
Ortberg later said Musk was helping Boeing in a "big way."
"He's a brilliant guy, so he's able to pretty quickly ascertain the difference between technical requirements and things that we can move out of the way," Ortberg said at a conference on February 20.
"He's helping us in a big way. So I'm embracing that, working with the DOGE team to help us improve the delivery."
Boeing has reported losses of more than $2 billion on the program.
The Air Force has said Trump's red, white, and blue design would cause further delays because a thermal study found the dark blue could result in added heat in some environments.
Joe Biden then selected a light-blue color in line with every other presidential jet since the Kennedy era — but Trump appears to continue to prefer his original design.
The White House didn't respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.
