Ted Colbert did not elaborate on their lessons, but said they contributed to a new schedule for the two planes, which have seen deliveries pushed back to 2026 and 2027. “The lessons learned are important to us and we apply them going forward,” Colbert told reporters at a briefing ahead of the Farnborough Air Show. “We made changes to the program. We have made changes to the way we work on the program.” “These are challenging programs and you learn as you go and adapt as you need to,” he added. In April, Boeing recorded a $660 million charge after taking a $318 million charge in April 2021 for the program “largely due to the impact of COVID-19 and performance issues at a key supplier.” Asked if Boeing could recoup those cost overruns, Colbert said, “If we can find a way, we will.” Boeing received a $3.9 billion contract in 2018 for two 747-8 jets to be delivered starting in 2024. In December 2016, then-President-elect Donald Trump secured a promise from then-Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg that the cost of replacing Air Force One would not exceed $4 billion. Trump had earlier called on the administration to cancel the purchase of Boeing’s new Air Force One, saying it was “ridiculous” and too expensive. Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun said in April that the deal was problematic. “Air Force One — I’ll just call a very unique moment, a very unique negotiation, a very unique set of risks that Boeing probably shouldn’t have taken,” Calhoun said. “But we are where we are and we will deliver great airplanes. And we will recognize the costs associated with that.” The Boeing 747-8s are designed to be an airborne White House capable of flying in worst-case security scenarios, such as nuclear war, and have been modified with military avionics, advanced communications and a self-defense system.
