Donald Trump says he wants to cancel a US government contract with Boeing for the creation of a new version of Air Force One.
The company based in Seattle is due to build an upgraded version of the Presidential jet….but Mr. Trump claimed the price tag is 4 billion US dollars….and he called it "out of control".
His intervention took Boeing, its shareholders and its employees completely by surprise, as our Washington Correspondent Simon Marks reports.
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Not a lot of people know this, but Air Force One is not an airplane.
It's a radio call sign used by pilots whenever the plane they are flying is assigned to carry the President of the United States.
It was first used back in 1953, and since then the moniker "Air Force One" has become firmly tied in the minds of the public to the Presidential aircraft….widely presumed to be the most luxurious ride in the sky.
Or perhaps "rides"…because there are currently two of them, and until a few hours ago both were due for an upgrade.
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But that's when Donald Trump suddenly seems to have decided that the future of Air Force One was at the front of his mind.
In a Tweet, and then a subsequent brief appearance before reporters at Trump Tower in New York, the President-elect claimed the upgrade is costing the tax payer 4 billion dollars and vowed to "cancel" the order.
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Now all of that came as a total surprise to Boeing.
Caught completely unawares by the President-elect's intervention, a spokesman for the company said he needed to go and get some guidance….and while he was doing it, shares in Boeing fell by more than one percent.
The company eventually issued a statement challenging Mr. Trump's claim.
Far from overseeing a 4 billion dollar contract, Boeing says it's currently working on a $170 million project to assess what capabilities the new planes should feature.
The company pledged to deliver planes "at the best value" for American taxpayers.
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Boeing also found a bit of hasty support on Capitol Hill.
Congressman Jim McDermott, a Democrat has got constituents who work at Boeing, and absolutely no patience for a President-elect with a Twitter account.
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It is far from clear that Donald Trump has the power to - as he put it on Twitter - "cancel the order" for an upgraded Air Force One.
After all, it's not like ordering a steak…then changing your mind and choosing the fish instead.
The new planes aren't due to be delivered until 2023…..by which point he might not be the President who gets to fly them.
So why is he raising this issue now?
Some think it's because he is rather wedded to the idea of using a different jet during his administration….one that has been featured in US television documentaries.
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Could it all be a case of airplane envy?
Or is Donald Trump trying to save the tax payer a hefty bill?
And will he ever explain why he suddenly thought about Air Force One….unless, just perhaps, is was movie night last night at Trump Tower.
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