China’s Air Force One: Inside Xi Jinping’s Boeing 747-8 Presidential Jet

While much of the world is familiar with America's Air Force One, China's presidential transport arrangements remain far less known, even though they are based on the same variant of the iconic Boeing-747. Air travel for China's top leadership—the CCP General Secretary, President, Premier and other senior officials —is managed by the 34th Division of the People's Liberation Army Air Force, which operates a fleet including six Boeing 737-300s, two 737-700s, four 737-800s, three Airbus A319s and ten Bombardier Challenger 800s. Notably, Chinese regulations restrict the use of dedicated presidential aircraft strictly to the President and the State Council Premier for international visits, other state leaders are required to use chartered planes instead.For Xi Jinping's own long-haul international travel, the aircraft of choice has been a specially converted Boeing 747-8I, carrying Air China branding and registration B-2479, converted and tested around 2016-2017 for exclusive head-of-state use. While no official photographs have ever been released, the aircraft is widely believed to be fitted with conference tables, private bedrooms and office suites—features expected of any long-range VIP transport. In the past, China has also used converted commercial Air China Boeing 747-400 aircraft for international travel when required, with three such aircraft carrying the registrations B-2445, B-2447 and B-2472.The Boeing 747-8, the aircraft at the heart of this fleet, is the final and largest member of the 747 family ever built, stretched to 250 feet in length, making it the longest airliner in commercial service. It features a deeper, thicker wing for greater fuel capacity, larger raked wingtips for improved aerodynamics, and more efficient GENx engines borrowed from the 787 Dreamliner, pushing its maximum takeoff weight to nearly 975,000 pounds, the heaviest of any Boeing airliner.China isn't the only nation to have turned to this aircraft for head-of-state duties. VIP-configured 747-8Is have also gone to Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, Brunei, Morocco, Turkey and Saudi Arabia, the last of which is used by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Interestingly, the United States itself has recently adopted a version of the same aircraft, designated the VC-25B Bridge, a stopgap presidential transport built from a former Qatari VIP jet gifted to Washington in 2025, now used by President Trump while the definitive VC-25A replacements remain under development.India, Japan, Israel, Indonesia, Singapore, Bangladesh, South Africa and a few other nations use variants of the more modern Boeing-777. The Indian Air Force acquired the Boeing-777 from Air India when the government divested from the firm. The IAF also acquired six A-321 aircraft from Air India, these aircraft will be converted to Airborne Early Warning and Control aircraft.