Despite security concerns: Donald Trump to fly to Ireland on a plane gifted by Qatar

Donald Trump will fly next week for a visit to Ireland on the plane he received as a gift from the Emir of Qatar. This is despite the fact that the aircraft lacks defense systems and encrypted communication. This will be his first trip on the plane since the operation to evacuate him from Turkey in July.

US President Donald Trump is expected to fly next week for an official visit to Ireland on board the Boeing 747 gifted to him by the Emir of Qatar. The decision to use the plane comes despite growing concerns within the American security establishment that the aircraft still lacks the advanced defense and encrypted communication systems installed on the original Air Force One planes, according to a report published on Friday.

The flight to Ireland will be Donald Trump's first international trip on the Qatari plane since the security incident that occurred last July during the NATO summit in Ankara. As recalled, intelligence was received regarding a specific Iranian threat to target Donald Trump's plane. Consequently, Donald Trump was evacuated from Turkey in a secret operation on an alternative military plane, while his official plane was used as a decoy and took off with only his entourage and journalists.

Following the incident in the summer, Donald Trump promised that the plane would be sent for extensive upgrades and would receive the most advanced systems. The work was planned for this autumn, but the White House did not announce a schedule for the work, which may be delayed until after the midterm elections. The USA has already invested about 400 million dollars in adapting the aircraft.

Former White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said at the time that the upgrade work would begin in the autumn and last about a month, but security experts warn:

«A full upgrade of anti-missile defense systems and secure communication requires much more time than was allocated.»