Donald Trump was forced to change planes after Air Force One was forced into a sudden mid-air U-turn on Tuesday night due to an on-board electrical issue that plunged part of the aircraft into darkness.
The modified Boeing 747-200B was less than an hour into its transatlantic flight to the World Economic Forum in Davos when the crew made the call to abort the journey and head back toward the United States.
Moments after takeoff from the East Coast, the lights in the press cabin went out, prompting the aircraft to turn around and return to Joint Base Andrews in Maryland.
Trump boarded another aircraft, an Air Force C-32, a modified Boeing 757 normally used by the president for domestic trips to smaller airports, and continued on with his trip to the World Economic Forum in Davos shortly after midnight.
White House officials later played down the scare, saying the decision was taken out of an ‘abundance of caution’ and stressing the electrical problem was minor.
One of the aircrafts underwent scheduled maintenance on January 9, though its unclear if its the one the president initially flew on.
Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt made a joke on the flight about the jet Trump had been gifted by Qatar sounding ‘much better’ right now.
Members of the Trump administration on the plane included Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, advisor Stephen Miller, Leavitt, Communications Director Stephen Chung and Chief of Protocol Monica Crowley.
Air Force One had to turn around back to Joint Base Andrews less than an hour into its transatlantic flight to Davos over what the White House called ‘a minor electrical issue.’ Pictured: Donald Trump boards Air Force One at 9:34pm
President Donald Trump gestures before boarding Air Force One for a trip to attend the World Economic Form in Davos
Members of the media board a backup Air Force One after the original plane, carrying President Donald Trump to the World Economic Form in Davos, experienced a minor electrical issue
The plane was expected to land in Zurich, with Trump then helicoptering to Davos, the mountain town hosting the annual gathering of billionaires.
‘This will be an interesting trip,’ Trump told reporters as he left the White House. ‘I have no idea what´s going to happen, but you are well represented.’
The president’s first scheduled event in Davos doesn’t take place until 2pm local time, about 5am ET.
Trump had posted to Truth Social ahead of the flight, writing: ‘America will be well represented in Davos — by me. GOD BLESS YOU ALL!’
The Daily Mail has reached out to the White House for further comment.
The two planes currently used as Air Force One have been flying for nearly four decades.
Boeing has been working on replacements, but the program has faced a series of delays.
The planes are heavily modified with survivability capabilities for the president for a range of contingencies, including radiation shielding and antimissile technology.
A view of the plane which will now carry President Trump to Switzerland
A flight tracker shows the path of Air Force One on Tuesday night
Members of the media exit Air Force One after the plane, carrying President Donald Trump to the World Economic Form in Davos, experienced a minor electrical issue after departure
They also include a variety of communications systems to allow the president to remain in contact with the military and issue orders from anywhere in the world.
Trump has complained about the size and modernity of Air Force One in the past.
In May of 2025, he defended his decision to accept the gift of a luxury jet from Qatar to serve as Air Force One during his remaining years as president.
‘The plane that you are on right now is almost 40 years old,’ Trump remarked, referring to Air Force One and noting that the Boeing planes purchased by Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Qatar were ‘brand new 747s.’
‘You see ours next to it. This is like a totally different plane. It’s much smaller and less impressive, as impressive as it is,’ Trump said. ‘We are the United States of America I believe we should have the most impressive plane.’
He expressed his frustration that Boeing had still not delivered the new Air Force One, even though he signed the deal to order new planes.
‘It’s pretty much the same plane with a new paint color if you want to know the truth,’ he said. ‘We are painting it red, white, and blue like the American flag which is incredible. Much more beautiful and much more representative of us.’
The 747-8 offered by the Qataris is considered more fuel efficient and quiet but it is most notable for it’s luxurious interior, designed by famed French design firm Alberto Pinto Cabinet.
Trump has complained about the size and modernity of Air Force One in the past
The current Air Force One Boeing 747 airplane in 2024
‘I’m not happy with Boeing,’ he said. ‘I don’t want to hurt Boeing but they are very late with the plane.’
Trump said he expressed his complaints about Air Force One to Qatari leaders who indicated they wanted to help.
‘Some people say you shouldn’t accept gifts,’ Trump says. ‘My attitude is why wouldn’t I accept a gift, we are giving to everybody else, why wouldn’t I accept a gift?’
Trump said he thought it was a ‘beautiful gesture’ from Qatar and decided to accept it.
‘There are those that say we shouldn’t be accepting gifts in the Defense Department and I would say only a stupid person would say that,’ he concluded.
Trump said the United States spent trillions of dollars to help secure nations overseas, including in Qatar, so it only made sense to accept gifts in return.
‘We give a lot of gifts, too many gifts to be honest with you,’ he said. ‘We give gifts to defend countries that wouldn’t even exist, all over the world countries wouldn’t even exist.’
The gift of the Qatari plane would be complicated as it would need to be heavily retrofitted to meet the security and infrastructure necessary to transport the president of the United States.
The president boarded Marine One at 9:18pm to fly to Joint Base Andrews and Air Force One took off at 9:46pm
Air Force One has unique secure communications systems, midair refueling capabilities, missile defense systems, and electronic jamming capabilities to protect the president of the United States.
The new planes contracted to Boeing to serve as Air Force One, however, have been fraught with delays, despite the initial contract delivery date of 2024.
Currently, the Boeing supplied Air Force One planes are expected to take as a long as 2029 until they are delivered. Costs for the project have now ballooned to $5.3 billion despite the original $3.9 billion estimate.
Last February, an Air Force plane carrying Rubio to Germany had to return to Washington because of a mechanical issue.
In October, a military plane carrying Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had to make an emergency landing in United Kingdom due to a crack in the windshield.
