The Qatari-government-donated "VC-25B Bridge” jet is now in the hands of the Presidential Airlift Group at Joint Base Andrews, MD, and is on track to begin flying, the service announced on Friday.

“The safety and security of the commander in chief is our highest priority," Air Force Secretary Troy Meink said in a statement. "From the beginning, we meticulously evaluated every requirement to accelerate delivery while maintaining the high standards expected of the presidential mission. This effort proves that the U.S. Air Force can move fast without sacrificing quality, security, or reliability."

The Pentagon accepted the jet as a donation last summer and began modifying it in September. Meink had previously committed to getting the necessary modifications complete in about a year.

The Defense Department won’t say how much money it spent to convert the Qatari-donated aircraft, calling the number classified. The Air Force has also declined to confirm whether the service has accepted any major capability limitations on the aircraft to keep with the tight delivery timeframe.

The program has faced significant scrutiny from Democrats in Congress, who have raised ethical concerns about the aircraft’s origin and are not convinced the jet’s requirements are as stringent as any other jet that serves as Air Force One in the service’s inventory.

“Any aircraft bestowed the call sign “Air Force One” must meet rigorous security requirements to ensure the President remains safe, protected, and fully connected,” the service said in its news release. “The VC-25B Bridge aircraft was modified under a disciplined engineering approach that prioritized these exact core capabilities above all else.”

The aircraft’s interior layout was “minimally changed” compared to what was already installed in the Qatari plane, the service said, noting that some tradeoffs were made on “some of the less commonly used mission sets.”

The service did not elaborate on what those specific mission sets are, again citing classification.

Those exempted mission sets are still part of the requirements that Boeing will need to implement into the long-delayed VC-25B program.

“To ensure mission capability, an elite group of interagency experts developed benchmark protocols to detect and, if necessary, neutralize potential technical hazards on the previously owned aircraft,” according to the Air Force.

Now the bridge aircraft is set to begin commissioning flights, the service added, marking the final stage of the modification process.

The commissioning flights “provide both an opportunity for the White House enterprise to validate mission-capability, while also finalizing protocols required to safely and securely transport the President of the United States and enable his execution of his three constitutional roles; Chief Executive, Commander in Chief, and Head of State,” the Air Force said.

Once the aircraft is considered “commissioned,” it will begin to be used for presidential missions as Air Force One.

The VC-25A aircraft that currently serve as Air Force One when the president is on board are roughly three decades old and often undergo maintenance for faulty parts.

Boeing has additionally been working to deliver two VC-25B jets to replace current Air Force One aircraft since President Trump’s first administration. But that program has faced delays due to developmental challenges and likely won’t be in the hands of the Air Force until at least mid-2028 -- about four years behind schedule -- the Pentagon has indicated.

The Qatari-donated aircraft is expected to be transferred to Trump’s presidential library after his term ends in 2029.