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A routine presidential trip took a bit longer Tuesday night when Air Force One was forced to return to Andrews Air Force Base (ADW) roughly an hour after departure due to what officials described as a “minor electrical issue.” President Trump had been en route to Davos, Switzerland for the World Economic Forum when the need to divert occurred.
The flight, operated by a modified Boeing 747-200 took off from Andrews Air Force Base (ADW) last night. Shortly after takeoff, the crew detected the issue and elected to return out of caution. Lights reportedly flickered in the press cabin during the climb, though no formal explanation was offered at the time. The aircraft landed at 11:07 PM ET without further incident.
With repairs unable to be completed quickly, the White House opted to continue the trip on a different aircraft. About an hour later, President Trump departed again (this time aboard a modified Boeing 757-200 typically used for domestic trips and smaller airports). Despite the swap to the smaller jet and tighter cabin layout, the transatlantic journey proceeded smoothly, and the president arrived in Switzerland in time for his scheduled address this morning.
While aircraft diversions for mechanical reasons are not unusual in commercial service, they are comparatively rare for Air Force One. The fleet dates back to the early 1990s and although well-maintained, the aircraft are now roughly 35 years old. Age-related maintenance has increasingly been a point of frustration for Trump, who has openly pushed for modernization (including accelerating retrofit plans for future Boeing 747-8 replacements and even pursuing an interim aircraft sourced from Qatar).
The White House, Air Force, and Secret Service did not characterize Tuesday night’s issue as a safety threat and no injuries were reported. The episode, however, highlighted both the operational realities of aging presidential aircraft and the importance of having a ready backup fleet standing by.
Anthony’s Take: Air Force One ultimately arrived only slightly behind schedule, preserving the president’s planned appearance at the World Economic Forum and the world now waits to see what he has to say there.
(Image Credits: Air Force and Wikipedia.)
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Advertiser & Editorial Disclosure: The Bulkhead Seat earns an affiliate commission for anyone approved through the links above This compensation may impact how and where links appear on this site. We work to provide the best publicly available offers to our readers. We frequently update them, but this site does not include all available offers. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed, or approved by any of these entities.
