SAM 29000 Ends Presidential Service After Final Trump Flight

WASHINGTON — VC-25A 92-9000, better known as SAM 29000, has completed its final regular presidential mission after carrying POTUS back to Joint Base Andrews (ADW) from France for the G7 trip.

The aircraft, one of two heavily modified Boeing 747-200Bs that have served as the core of the presidential airlift fleet since 1990, has carried U.S. presidents for 35 years. It entered service during the presidency of George H. W. Bush and went on to operate missions for every administration since.

White House Communications Director Steven Cheung marked the aircraft’s return with a tribute on X, writing, “Well done, good and faithful servant,” followed by “The Last Ride.” Chief of Protocol Monica Crowley, who was aboard the flight, also thanked SAM 29000 for its service.

One VC-25A remains

The retirement of SAM 29000 does not mean the end of the VC-25A fleet.

The second presidential Boeing 747-200B, VC-25A 82-8000, known as SAM 28000, remains in service and will continue to support the presidential airlift mission. The aircraft will serve as the remaining legacy VC-25A in the fleet and can operate as Air Force One whenever the president is aboard.

That distinction is important. “Air Force One” is not the name of a specific aircraft; it is the call sign assigned to any U.S. Air Force aircraft carrying the president.

A bridge to the next generation

SAM 29000’s departure from regular presidential service comes as the U.S. Air Force prepares to introduce an interim Boeing 747-8i known as the VC-25B Bridge aircraft.

The former Qatari government aircraft has been modified by L3Harris Technologies, flight-tested, and repainted in a red, white, dark blue, and gold livery. It is intended to relieve pressure on the aging VC-25A fleet while Boeing completes the two purpose-built next-generation VC-25B presidential aircraft.

The bridge aircraft is expected to join the Presidential Airlift Group this summer. It will operate alongside SAM 28000 during the transition period rather than immediately replacing every existing presidential transport capability.

The two permanent Boeing 747-8-based VC-25Bs remain delayed and are now expected to enter service in 2028.

An end of an era

SAM 29000’s final presidential mission closes a major chapter in U.S. presidential aviation.

For more than three decades, the aircraft’s distinctive blue-and-white Boeing 747 profile has carried presidents, staff, journalists, military personnel, and security teams across the world. It served as more than transportation: it was a flying White House, a secure command platform, and one of the most recognizable aircraft in global aviation.

The aircraft is expected to be preserved in a museum. Its retirement leaves SAM 28000 as the last active VC-25A, carrying the legacy of the Boeing 747-200B era into the transition toward the newer 747-8-based presidential fleet.