After an early Thursday morning landing near Washington, two White House officials posted social media farewells to the heavily modified Boeing 747-200, which has flown as Air Force One since 1990, as the first of three planes being modified for the role is set to be delivered soon.

The first presidential aircraft entered service in 1944, and the current generation of Air Force One 747-200 aircraft has been around since 1990. Boeing is contracted to build a new generation of Air Force One planes, and they were originally intended to ...