Boeing was supposed to deliver a replacement for Air Force One last year, but significant delays have cost the plane maker billions on the project. They have also drawn ire from the president, who told reporters aboard Air Force One in February that he was “not happy with Boeing” and may purchase a plane elsewhere.

Speaking on Air Force One just hours after Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov curtly confirmed Putin would not attend, Trump turned prickly when talk turned to the Russian leader. The president had just left Qatar and was headed for the United Arab Emirates when he fielded questions on the presidential aircraft.

Security experts told BI that the work required to make a plane from Qatar ready to be Air Force One would be like building a new plane.

Donald Trump is the most powerful and famous person on the planet, and the American president is at the helm of the biggest economy and the strongest military.

Upgrading a Qatar-donated 747 into a new Air Force One would take a large sum of money and years to complete, aviation experts said.

A $96 billion deal with Qatar Airways comes as Boeing struggles to deliver its Air Force One replacements and Trump seems poised to accept a Boeing jet from the Qatari royal family.