Photos show the luxurious, heavily fortified presidential jets world leaders use for official travel

• The US president flies on Air Force One.

• Other countries have their own presidential planes.

• Boeing 747 jumbo jets and Airbus A330 and A340 planes are popular options for world leaders.

The Boeing VC-25 is arguably the most famous jetliner in the world, even though most people have never heard of it.

Most do know it, though, by the call sign it’s assigned when the president of the United States is on board: Air Force One.

Air Force One is instantly recognizable, both as the president’s airplane and as a flying symbol of American military and economic might. With its hand-polished blue, white, and silver livery, Air Force One boldly proclaims the arrival of the leader of the free world.

The US president is not the only one to have their own presidential jet. A number of prominent international leaders also use some form of executive transport.

The Boeing 747 jumbo jet is a popular option for many nations, including China, India, and South Korea. The Airbus A330 and A340 are also commonly found in presidential fleets.

Here’s a closer look at how the presidents, chancellors, and prime ministers of the world travel.

The US president’s main Air Force One plane, a Boeing VC-25A, is a heavily modified version of the Boeing 747-200 airliner.

The Boeing VC-25A entered service as Air Force One in 1990. At 231 feet long, it can transport 30 crew members and 71 passengers.

There are two nearly identical Boeing jets that serve as the official transport of the president. Normally, the planes are referred to by their tail numbers: 28000 and 29000. When the commander-in-chief steps on board, they take on the call sign “Air Force One.”

New VC-25B Air Force One planes, based on the Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental, are now expected to be ready by 2028 after years of delays. Boeing has already lost over $2 billion on the project due to various manufacturing and supply-chain issues.

The presidential jets are operated by the Presidential Airlift Group out of Joint Base Andrews in Maryland.

On some occasions, the US president has been known to use the Boeing 757-200-based C-32 aircraft as well.

The smaller C-32, measuring 155 feet long, normally serves as the US vice president’s plane. It is used by the president for travel to smaller airports that don’t have the infrastructure for the larger Air Force One jet.

The UK prime minister’s official transport is a Royal Air Force Airbus A330 MRTT known as Vespina, with the tail number ZZ336.

Until 2015, the UK prime minister chartered commercial jets for state visits.

The modified Airbus A330 was converted for VIP duties in 2015, but can still serve as a refueling tanker when not on state business. It is outfitted with 58 business-class seats.

In 2020, its gray Royal Air Force livery was repainted with a new white color and the Union Jack on the tail, a refurbishment that cost £900,000, or around $1.1 million, the BBC reported.

The president of Russia’s fleet of domestically produced aircraft is headlined by five heavily modified Ilyushin IL-96-300PU airliners.

Nicknamed “The Flying Kremlin,” the Ilyushin Il-96-300 measures over 181 feet long and can hold 262 passengers, The National Interest reported.

The Russian president has also been known to fly on a fleet of smaller executive aircraft based on the Tupolev Tu-214 airliner. Tupolev TU-214s were designed as the Russian equivalent of Boeing 757s and can hold around 210 passengers.

The German chancellor travels on an Airbus A350-900 XWB.

German leaders previously used modified Airbus A340-300 airliners for official travel, but they were withdrawn from service and put up for sale in 2024 after experiencing maintenance issues with German officials on board.

The German fleet also features several Airbus A320-family-based executive jets.

The president of France’s primary jet is an ex-Swissair Airbus A330-200 that has been converted into a VIP transport.

When carrying the president of France, the plane’s call sign is COTAM 001.

France’s presidential fleet also includes several Airbus A310-300s and Airbus A340-200s.

China’s president flies on a Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental airliner converted from an Air China plane into a full-time presidential jet.

Designated as B-2479, the plane can fly 14,320 kilometers, or around 8898 miles, without stopping to refuel.

The Japanese prime minister uses a Boeing 777-300ER to travel around the world.

Japan’s old Air Force One plane, a Boeing 747-400, was listed for sale on an aviation classifieds site for $28 million in 2019.

The South Korean president conducts official state visits using a converted Boeing 747-8I.

The plane uses the call sign “Code One” while carrying the South Korean president. Leased from Korean Air, it began serving as South Korea’s presidential aircraft in 2021, AeroTime reported.

The Brazilian president’s main long-haul transport is a militarized Airbus A330-200 known as KC-30.

President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva of Brazil switched from using a luxurious Airbus A319 corporate jet to the more utilitarian KC-30 after the presidential plane experienced a technical issue in 2024 while visiting Mexico, Reuters reported.

Brazil’s presidential fleet also features several domestically produced Embraer VIP transports.

The Canadian prime minister flies on board an Airbus A-330-200.

The Canadian government bought the Airbus A-330-200, known as Airbus 02, from Kuwait Airways for $50 million in 2023, CBC reported.

The Polish presidential fleet features a variety of new VIP transports, including Embraer E-Jets, Gulfstream G550s, and Boeing 737 BBJ2s.

Poland received its first Boeing 737 BBJ2 jet in 2021 featuring the serial number 0111 and nicknamed “Roman Dmowski” after the Polish politician, Key.Aero reported.

The Indian prime minister flies on board a customized Boeing 777-300ER.

When carrying the prime minister, the plane is known as “India One.” It can fly for 13,500 kilometers, or around 8,388 miles, without refueling.

The Turkish presidential fleet is one of the more impressive in the world, with a variety of wide-body commercial airliners converted into VIP transports.

The fleet includes Airbus A330-200s, Airbus A340-500s, and a Boeing 747-8I private jet reportedly gifted to Turkey by the Qatari government, the BBC reported.

North Korea’s official VIP transport is a Soviet-era Ilyushin IL-62.

The plane is nicknamed “Chammae-1,” named after North Korea’s national bird, AP reported.

The Iranian president’s VIP transport is an Airbus A340-300 that once flew with Air Canada and Turkish Airlines.

In June, Iran’s presidential plane flew to Jordan accompanied by two Airbus A321s, The War Zone reported.

The Australian prime minister’s fleet includes a KC-30A for longer trips and several Boeing 737 BBJs and Dassault Falcon 7X jets for shorter flights.

Australia’s KC-30A, a modified Airbus A330, features the gray Royal Australian Air Force livery with a kangaroo design.

Israel’s prime minister flies on a Boeing 767-300ER.

The plane is known as “Wing of Zion,” with the registration “4X-ISR.”

Editor’s note: This story was originally published by Benjamin Zhang in April 2019. It was updated in September 2019 and December 2025.

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