Boeing officials found two empty tequila bottles aboard one of its future Air Force One airplanes this month, the Wall Street Journal reported.
The jumbo 747-8 jet — currently in a San Antonio facility — is one of two the planemaker is modifying to meet presidential and Secret Service specifications. Boeing prohibits alcohol inside its factories.
The Journal said Boeing would neither confirm nor deny what its sources had revealed, calling it a “personal matter” it could not elaborate on due to contractual constraints. However, its sources claimed two miniature tequila bottles were left on the plane, although they could not specify where in particular.
The federal government awarded Boeing a $3.9 billion contract to outfit the jumbo jets in 2018.
“Boeing informed the Air Force of a personnel matter related to the VC-25B program,” Air Force media chief Ann Stefanik confirmed to CNN. “There is no impact to the ongoing modification efforts of the two aircraft.”
“The [U.S.] Air Force ... monitors production quality closely and holds Boeing accountable to ensure the VC-25B program meets stringent quality control requirements,” Stefanik elaborated.
The specially made plane only receives the official Air Force One designation when the commander-in-chief is aboard. In addition, Boeing employees must obtain special security clearances to work on the jets. The company takes presidential aircraft development seriously, describing it in the past as “an airborne seat of government” that is of the “highest national priority,” WSJ said.
The company anticipated delivering the uniquely modified future Air Force One planes by 2024, but Boeing has extended the completion date by about another year. Company leadership blamed the effects of the pandemic.
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