Donald Trump’s Air Force One was forced to turn back less than an hour into its transatlantic journey to Switzerland on Tuesday night after experiencing what the White House described as a “minor electrical issue.”
The aircraft, carrying President Trump and members of the press, was en route to Zurich for the World Economic Forum in Davos when it reversed course and headed back toward Joint Base Andrews near Washington, D.C.
Reporters onboard said lights in the press cabin briefly flickered shortly after takeoff. No additional details about the malfunction were provided during the flight.
What White House Said About Air Force One Incident
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt sought to ease concerns following the incident, injecting humor into the situation.
She joked that the $400 million Qatari jet currently being retrofitted to serve as Trump’s next Air Force One was looking “much better” in light of the delay.
The Qatari aircraft, originally built for the country’s royal family, was accepted by Trump after long delays in Boeing’s delivery of the next-generation presidential planes.
Aging Air Force One Fleet
The current Air Force One fleet consists of two Boeing 747-200 aircraft that entered service in 1990 and 1991.
In addition, smaller Boeing C-32 aircraft are also used as Air Force One, typically for destinations with shorter runways. Despite their size, the C-32s are equipped for international travel.
Following Tuesday night’s disruption, reporters were photographed boarding one of the smaller C-32 aircraft, which President Trump will now use to travel to Zurich and continue onward to Davos.
Passengers from the original flight were split between two smaller planes to complete the journey across the Atlantic.
Air Force One Incident: Impact on Trump’s Davos Schedule
The unexpected turnaround of Air Force One is expected to place Trump several hours behind schedule.
However, the president was still expected to have a few hours on the ground Wednesday morning before his first official engagement, scheduled for 2:10 p.m. local time.
His address to the World Economic Forum is slated to begin at 2:30 p.m.
Zubair Amin is a Senior Journalist at NewsX with over seven years of experience in reporting and editorial work. He has written for leading national and international publications, including Foreign Policy Magazine, Al Jazeera, The Economic Times, The Indian Express, The Wire, Article 14, Mongabay, News9, among others. His primary focus is on international affairs, with a strong interest in US politics and policy. He also writes on West Asia, Indian polity, and constitutional issues. Zubair tweets at zubaiyr.amin
