Trump’s Plane, Air Force One, Forced To Abort Flight After Electrical Issues
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Agency Report
United States President Donald Trump’s plane, Air Force One, was forced to abort its flight to Switzerland on Tuesday and return to Washington after what officials described as a “minor electrical issue”.
Trump later boarded another aircraft, an Air Force C-32 — a modified Boeing 757 typically used for domestic trips to smaller airports — and continued his journey to the World Economic Forum in Davos shortly after midnight.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the decision to return to Washington, D.C., was taken shortly after departure “out of an abundance of caution”, after the crew detected the fault.
A White House pool reporter traveling with the president said the lights in the press cabin of Air Force One briefly flickered off after the aircraft became airborne, though no further explanation was provided at the time.
The two aging jets serving as Air Force One have been in service for nearly four decades, with Boeing’s efforts to deliver replacements facing repeated delays.
Controversy flared in 2025 when Qatar’s ruling family presented Trump with a luxury Boeing 747-8 to be added to the presidential fleet — a move that drew intense scrutiny. The aircraft is currently being refitted to meet U.S. security standards.
Speaking to reporters on board on Tuesday night, Leavitt quipped that the Qatari jet was sounding “much better” at that moment.
The unscheduled turnaround was expected to delay the president’s arrival in Davos. The meeting is overshadowed by Trump’s threat of tariffs on European countries over Greenland, which he remains determined to seize.
Departing on Monday evening, Trump told reporters: “Let’s put it this way: it’s going to be a very interesting Davos.” Earlier, at a lengthy press briefing marking his first anniversary in office, he was asked how far he would be willing to go to acquire Greenland and replied: “You’ll find out.”
The delegation includes Secretary of State Marco Rubio, White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, and National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett.
In February 2025, a military plane carrying Rubio to Germany returned to Washington due to a mechanical issue. In October, a military plane carrying Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth made an emergency landing in Britain after a crack developed in the windshield.
Technical problems on the presidential jet are rare due to meticulous maintenance. In 2006, the primary Air Force One suffered a mechanical malfunction while on the tarmac in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, forcing former United States President George W. Bush to board the backup aircraft, a Boeing 757, for his onward flight to Indonesia.
(The Guardian UK)
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