A minor electrical problem forced Air Force One to turn back to Maryland less than an hour after departing Tuesday night on a flight to Davos, Switzerland, with President Donald Trump on board, the White House confirmed. The president later continued the trip on a different aircraft.
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White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the issue was detected shortly after takeoff from Joint Base Andrews. Out of an abundance of caution, the flight crew made the decision to return to base. Air Force One landed back at Andrews at 11:07 p.m. Eastern time.
Reporters traveling with the president noted that the lights in the press cabin briefly went out after takeoff, though officials did not provide additional technical details about the malfunction.
After returning safely, Trump boarded a replacement aircraft roughly an hour later. The backup plane was an Air Force C-32, a modified Boeing 757 that is commonly used for presidential travel, particularly to airports that cannot accommodate a larger 747.
Trump is traveling to Davos to attend the World Economic Forum, where he is scheduled to address the gathering Wednesday morning. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, already on the ground in Switzerland, said the president was expected to arrive about three hours behind schedule.
Before departing earlier in the evening, Trump downplayed the uncertainty of the trip. “This will be an interesting trip,” he told reporters. The incident also renewed attention on the aging Air Force One fleet, as the two current Boeing 747s have been in service since 1990, with their long-delayed replacements now not expected until 2027 and 2028.[/read]