The choice follows an earlier decision by the administration to scrap a red, white and blue design favored by former President Donald Trump.
President Joe Biden is leaning toward a blue-and-white color scheme for the exterior of the replacement Air Force One aircraft, the first of which is expected to be delivered in four years.
The Air Force announced Friday night that the light blue on the new model of the modified 747s carrying the president will have a slightly deeper, more modern hue than the blue present on versions of the plane currently in use.
Boeing is modifying two of its 747-800 aircraft that will use the Air Force One call sign when the president is on board. They will replace the existing fleet of two older Boeing 747-200 aircraft currently used by the president.
The choice of the aircraft’s exterior colors follows an earlier decision by the administration to scrap a red, white and blue design favored by former President Donald Trump. An Air Force review suggested that darker colors would increase costs and delay delivery of the new jumbo jets.
In 2018, Trump ordered the new planes to change from the iconic Kennedy-era blue-and-white design to a white and navy blue color scheme. The top half of the plane would have been white and the bottom half, including the belly, would have been dark blue. A dark red stripe would have run from the cockpit to the tail. The color was nearly identical to the exterior of Trump’s personal aircraft.
Formally known as the VC-25B, the new aircraft will replace the current fleet, known as the VC-25A, which, according to the Air Force, faces capability gaps, rising maintenance costs and “parts obsolescence.” Modifications to the successor aircraft will include electrical power upgrades, a medical center and a self-defense system, the Air Force added.
Delivery of the first of the new aircraft is scheduled for 2027, followed by the second aircraft in 2028, the agency detailed.