When China's President Xi Jinping arrived at Palm Beach International Airport on Thursday afternoon for his Palm Beach summit with President Donald Trump, Xi did so aboard a commercial airliner.
Though this may seem odd to those in the U.S. accustomed to our presidents making use of a dedicated fleet of planes with the call sign Air Force One, Xi travels aboard a Boeing 747-400 airplane operated by the country’s airline, Air China.
» UPDATES: Presidents Trump and Xi arrive in Palm Beach for summit at Mar-a-Lago
Two of the planes primarily are used to transport China's leaders, and the country does not have an airplane fleet for presidential travel similar to that operated by the U.S. Air Force, the South China Morning Post reported.
Before each presidential use, an Air China 747-400 plane is modified with sofas and beds. After each of Xi’s trips, the plane is adapted back to its passenger-use configuration and once more enters the airline’s rotation for regular flights, the Morning Post said.
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