President Donald Trump’s aircraft, Air Force One, was forced to abort its flight to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on Tuesday evening after what officials described as a "minor electrical issue". The plane turned back to Washington DC shortly after departure, and the president transferred to a backup aircraft, an Air Force C-32, to continue his journey.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the decision was made "out of an abundance of caution" when the crew detected the fault. A pool reporter travelling with the president noted that lights in the press cabin flickered off briefly after takeoff, though no further explanation was provided at the time.
Air Force One is currently served by two ageing Boeing 747s, both nearly four decades old, with efforts to replace them repeatedly delayed. Controversy arose in 2025 when Qatar’s ruling family gifted Trump a luxury Boeing 747-8 for the presidential fleet, a gesture that drew intense scrutiny. Speaking to reporters, Leavitt quipped that the Qatari jet was sounding like the "much better" option at that moment.
The unscheduled turnaround was expected to delay Trump’s arrival in Davos, where he is set to attend the annual meeting overshadowed by his threats of tariffs on European countries over Greenland. Before departing, Trump said: "Let’s put it this way: it’s going to be a very interesting Davos." He earlier declined to specify how far he would go to acquire Greenland, stating only: "You’ll find out."
The US delegation includes secretary of state Marco Rubio, chief of staff Susie Wiles, deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller, and National Economic Council director Kevin Hassett. The incident follows previous mechanical issues with military aircraft, including a flight carrying Rubio to Germany in February 2025 and an emergency landing by defence secretary Pete Hegseth’s plane in Britain in October due to a cracked windshield.
