Air Force One turns back over Atlantic, Trump continues to Davos on backup aircraft

U.S. President Donald Trump resumed his journey to Davos, Switzerland, after Air Force One was forced to return to Joint Base Andrews on Tuesday evening due to a “minor electrical issue,” the White House said. The aircraft turned back more than an hour into the flight, over the Atlantic near Long Island, as a precautionary measure.

The plane landed safely in Maryland shortly after 23:00 ET (UTC-5). Trump departed again roughly an hour later aboard a backup aircraft, which also carries the Air Force One call sign when the president is on board, and continued to the World Economic Forum in Davos.

According to pool reporters, staff and crew quickly transferred luggage, food and supplies between the two aircraft to minimise delays. Open-source flight tracking data from ADS-B Exchange confirmed the mid-flight turnback.

This marks the second recent instance in which Trump has relied on a backup aircraft. During a September visit to the United Kingdom, a helicopter carrying Trump and First Lady Melania Trump experienced a hydraulic issue and was forced to land, prompting a transfer to a support helicopter.

The current Boeing 747 aircraft used as Air Force One have been in service for more than 35 years. Their delayed replacement has been a long-standing source of frustration for Trump and has proved costly for Boeing. The next-generation presidential aircraft, originally due in 2022, are now expected in mid-2028 under a contract valued at more than $4.3 billion.

Despite the advanced age of the fleet, technical incidents involving Air Force One remain rare.

Source: CNN