In the wake of extensive delays and budget overruns for the building of two new ‘Air Force One’ 747-8s, the US Department of Defense is preparing to take delivery of a lavishly appointed Boeing 747-8 private jet as a stopgap. The Boeing 747-8KB was delivered to Qatar Amiri Flight in April 2012 with registration A7-HJA. It was subsequently used by the House of Thani with registration A7-HBJ, a nod to the initials of Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber Al Thani, former Qatari Prime Minister and the primary user of the jet. Over a decade later, in June 2023, it was delivered to Global Jet Isle of Man, acquiring a new registration once more – P4-HBJ, with the P4 signifying it is registered in Aruba, a popular flag of convenience for private jets.
When (and if) it is officially transferred to the DoD, it will have a new registration again. Whether it will retain its HBJ suffix remains to be seen, but it could well take on something more patriotic, such as DJT, for instance. The current Air Force One 747s have tail numbers 28000 and 29000, so it may not follow traditional registration formats at all.
