Gift or good riddance? Qatar royal family failed to sell Boeing 747 it is giving Trump in 2020: Report

The Qatar royal family gifted Donald Trump a Boeing 747 jumbo jet, which he plans to use as Air Force One. The US president has invited flak from several quarters for accepting it, saying it would be foolish to refuse. Some people think Qatar is trying to woo Trump.

However, the expensive gift might not be about all that, but simply a way for the royal family to get rid of the jet. According to a Forbes report, the royal family of Qatar has been trying to reduce the number of private jets it owns. It has already removed a few from the collection. Notably, it owns the biggest fleet of private jets in the world. This includes a dozen Airbus and Boeing airliners, besides smaller business jets from Bombardier and Dassault.

The Boeing 747 jumbo jet was first put up for sale in 2020

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The publication cited an archived listing and stated that the royal family of Qatar first put the jet up for sale in 2020. However, no deal was struck. Since then, they have been burdened with maintenance and storage costs. Simply giving away the jet as a gift seems like an easier way to shed all that and remove the jet from the fleet.

Also Read: Trump announces $200 billion Boeing deal in Qatar, expresses hope for Iran nuclear deal to Qatari emir

The problem with the Boeing 747 jumbo jet, which Trump will now use as a flying White House, is that it is a fuel-guzzling beast. While that might have been appealing till a few years back, the advent of sleek new-age jets offers a more private travelling experience as they don't attract that much attention as a jumbo jet does.

Also Read: 'Wildly illegal': Trump slammed for Boeing 747-8 jet 'gift' from Qatar royal family; US president defends present

Why is Boeing Jet, a palace in the sky, named HBJ?

The Boeing 747 jumbo jet gifted to Trump was bought by the Qatar royal family in 2012. The price listed at the time was $367 million. Millions more were likely spent in the next three years on the interiors. It has the tail number A7-HBJ, the initials of billionaire Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber Al Thani, who was the prime minister of Qatar from 2007 to 2013.

While a 747 8 passenger jet, which can seat 467 people, the HBJ can accommodate only 89 passengers. Dubbed a "palace in the sky," the jet has a master bedroom, a guest bedroom, two full bathrooms with showers, nine smaller lavatories, five small kitchens, and a private office.

Other amenities include oversized couches and recliners, and wood panelling. For entertainment, it has more than 40 televisions, including 10 big-screen TVs.

Notably, Boeing has been assigned the job of designing and building new presidential planes, but it is behind schedule and has also gone over budget. Trump has announced that he would accept the Boeing 747-8 airliner, which will "temporarily" serve as the interim Air Force One.