U.S. President Donald Trump walks down the stairs from the Air Force One at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, the United States, May 4, 2017. (Xinhua/Wang Ying)
WASHINGTON, Feb. 27 (Xinhua) -- The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump has reached a 3.9-billion-dollar deal with Boeing for two new Air Force One planes, the White House said Tuesday.
A spokesperson for the White House said that Trump has reached an informal deal with Boeing on a "fixed-price contract" for the new Air Force One Program.
The White House said that the contract will save taxpayers more than 1.4 billion dollars. The amount, however, cannot be confirmed yet.
Boeing said in a tweet Tuesday that it is "proud to build the next generation of Air Force One, providing American presidents with a flying White House at outstanding value to taxpayers."
The Chicago-based jet maker added that Trump "negotiated a good deal on behalf of the American people."
Trump's personal involvement in the deal since his election has brought the years-long negotiations between Boeing and the U.S. Air Force much media exposure.
The president threatened in late 2016 to cancel the contract after revealing that Boeing was planning to spend 4 billion dollars on the planes, a price Trump said was "out of control." Boeing pledged to control expenditures at the time.
The U.S. presidential planes, known as Air Force One when the president is on board, are one of the most recognized symbols of the American presidency.
The civilian version of the plane, the Boeing 747-8, is priced at 390 million dollars, but the presidential version is much more costly due to additional security and defensive features.
Boeing said the delivery date for the new planes will depend on how much testing the U.S. Air Force wants to do. Its initial plan was to have the planes ready by 2024.
