Boeing wins $3.9B contract for Air Force One replacement planes

The White House announced Wednesday that Boeing has been awarded a $3.9 billion contract to “design, modify, test, certify, and deliver” two flight-ready aircraft to be used as Air Force One planes for the president by 2024.

The announced deal comes as President Trump said in an interview broadcast this week that the redesigned aircraft will feature a red, white and blue color scheme, departing from aircraft’s traditional white and light blue.

{mosads}The agreement finalizes an “informal” deal that the White House announced in February, with the price tag for the two aircraft dropping $1.4 billion from Boeing’s initial estimate of $5.3 billion for the contract.

“President Donald J. Trump has emphasized the need to minimize the cost of replacing the two existing Air Force One aircraft. Yesterday’s action meets that objective and reflects the President’s commitment to our military and to protecting taxpayer dollars,” the White House said in the statement Wednesday.

Boeing said in a statement in February that it was “proud to build the next generation of Air Force One, providing American presidents with a flying White House at outstanding value to taxpayers.”

“President Trump negotiated a good deal on behalf of the American people,” the company said at the time.

Trump had criticized Boeing during the 2016 campaign for the high costs of ordering new aircraft to serve as presidential planes.

“Costs are out of control,” Trump tweeted in December 2016. “Cancel order!”

Trump began negotiations with the company after taking office, vowing that costs would go “WAY DOWN” or he would cancel the order.

The announced deal comes after Trump told CBS News anchor Jeff Glor in an interview that aired Tuesday that the redesigned Air Force One aircraft will feature red, white and blue.

“I said, ‘I wonder if we should use the same baby blue colors.’ And we’re not,” Trump told Glor from his golf course in Scotland.

“Air Force One is going to be incredible,” he continued. “It’s going to be the top of the line, the top in the world, and it’s going to be red, white and blue. Which I think is appropriate.”