What is the story about?
United States President Donald Trump is en route to Davos, Switzerland, on a backup plane after his initial aircraft was forced to turn around due to "a minor electrical issue".
Air Force One was in the air when it had to return to Joint Base Andrews in Maryland late Tuesday (January 20) after the crew identified the technical problem, according to the White House. This is not the first time Air Force One has run into trouble.
Let’s take a closer look.
President Donald Trump’s Air Force One experienced "a minor electrical issue" shortly after departing for Switzerland, the White House said.
The plane returned to Joint Base Andrews, where it landed at 11:07 pm ET.
The White House press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, said that Trump would board a different plane at the base and travel to Switzerland, where he is set to attend the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos on Wednesday.
The aircraft returned “out of an abundance of caution” after the crew identified the issue shortly after takeoff, Leavitt said. Some of the cabin lights in the plane were not working, reported New York Times (NYT).
Several senior US officials were on the plane with Trump, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Susie Wiles, the White House chief of staff.
An aircraft’s electrical system enables the pilots to operate its other systems, including key ones like the flight controls, Keith Tonkin, an aviation expert in Brisbane, Australia, told
NYT.
Aircraft electrical systems have backups, which indicates that pilots discovered a “relatively critical” issue in this case, he said.
Older aircraft like those of Air Force One depend less on electricity than newer planes, he added.
As per CNN, Air Force One planes are rigorously maintained, and such technical problems are extremely rare.
Nearly an hour after the plane turned around, Trump was on board a new aircraft used as Air Force One, which headed for Davos.
The US presidential air transport fleet comprises two specially configured Boeing planes.
The Boeing 747 jets used as Air Force One have been in service for over 35 years, as per CNN.
Delays in replacing these aircraft have angered Trump. The US president has been waiting for the next generation of Boeing 747 jets that would serve as the primary presidential air transport.
But the delivery has been deferred. The US Air Force said last month that the delivery of the first of two new Air Force One jets from Boeing had been postponed by another year to mid-2028.
ALSO READ: How Qatari luxury jet will be converted into Air Force One to fly President Trump
A mechanical problem grounded the Air Force One in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, in November 2006.
The then US president George W Bush was forced to take a backup plane to continue his Asia trip – travelling from Vietnam to Indonesia.
As per CBS News, the issue was detected while the aircraft was still on the ground in Vietnam and before Bush was onboard.
The US Air Force had said at the time that it hoped to fix the problem in time for the US president to fly from Indonesia to the next scheduled stop, Hawaii.
Bush was in Vietnam to attend the 21-nation Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Hanoi.
In 1974, the then US President Richard Nixon flew to Syria on board Air Force One. At the time, two Syrian MiG fighter jets flew up to act as escorts.
However, the pilot of Air Force One was not informed. He mistook it as an attack and immediately took evasive maneouvers including a dive, leading to staffers on the aircraft straggling.
The US Air Force alerted the pilot of Air Force One that the MiGs were escorts and not hostile jets shortly after the incident.
Air Force One is not a specific plane. It is an air traffic control designation used for any US Air Force aircraft with Potus on board. The name was coined when a plane carrying then-President Dwight Eisenhower, identified by air controllers as “Air Force 8610,” was flying over New York City and had a near-collision mid-air with a commercial airliner with the same flight number.
This encounter prompted the US Federal Aviation Administration to designate a call-sign for any aircraft the president was flying in, resulting in the birth of Air Force One.
With inputs from agencies
Air Force One was in the air when it had to return to Joint Base Andrews in Maryland late Tuesday (January 20) after the crew identified the technical problem, according to the White House. This is not the first time Air Force One has run into trouble.
Let’s take a closer look.
Trump’s Air Force One faces ‘electrical issue’
President Donald Trump’s Air Force One experienced "a minor electrical issue" shortly after departing for Switzerland, the White House said.
The plane returned to Joint Base Andrews, where it landed at 11:07 pm ET.
The White House press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, said that Trump would board a different plane at the base and travel to Switzerland, where he is set to attend the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos on Wednesday.
The aircraft returned “out of an abundance of caution” after the crew identified the issue shortly after takeoff, Leavitt said. Some of the cabin lights in the plane were not working, reported New York Times (NYT).
Several senior US officials were on the plane with Trump, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Susie Wiles, the White House chief of staff.
Members of the media wait for US President Donald Trump to deboard Air Force One after returning to Joint Base Andrews following an electrical problem identified mid-flight en route to Davos, Switzerland, at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, US, January 20, 2026. Reuters
An aircraft’s electrical system enables the pilots to operate its other systems, including key ones like the flight controls, Keith Tonkin, an aviation expert in Brisbane, Australia, told
Aircraft electrical systems have backups, which indicates that pilots discovered a “relatively critical” issue in this case, he said.
Older aircraft like those of Air Force One depend less on electricity than newer planes, he added.
As per CNN, Air Force One planes are rigorously maintained, and such technical problems are extremely rare.
Nearly an hour after the plane turned around, Trump was on board a new aircraft used as Air Force One, which headed for Davos.
The US presidential air transport fleet comprises two specially configured Boeing planes.
The Boeing 747 jets used as Air Force One have been in service for over 35 years, as per CNN.
Delays in replacing these aircraft have angered Trump. The US president has been waiting for the next generation of Boeing 747 jets that would serve as the primary presidential air transport.
But the delivery has been deferred. The US Air Force said last month that the delivery of the first of two new Air Force One jets from Boeing had been postponed by another year to mid-2028.
ALSO READ: How Qatari luxury jet will be converted into Air Force One to fly President Trump
When Air Force One was grounded in 2006
A mechanical problem grounded the Air Force One in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, in November 2006.
The then US president George W Bush was forced to take a backup plane to continue his Asia trip – travelling from Vietnam to Indonesia.
As per CBS News, the issue was detected while the aircraft was still on the ground in Vietnam and before Bush was onboard.
US President George W. Bush (R) and first lady Laura Bush (2nd R) step from Air Force One and receive flowers upon their arrival in Hanoi, November 17, 2006. File Photo/Reuters
The US Air Force had said at the time that it hoped to fix the problem in time for the US president to fly from Indonesia to the next scheduled stop, Hawaii.
Bush was in Vietnam to attend the 21-nation Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Hanoi.
When Air Force One came face to face with MiGs
In 1974, the then US President Richard Nixon flew to Syria on board Air Force One. At the time, two Syrian MiG fighter jets flew up to act as escorts.
However, the pilot of Air Force One was not informed. He mistook it as an attack and immediately took evasive maneouvers including a dive, leading to staffers on the aircraft straggling.
The US Air Force alerted the pilot of Air Force One that the MiGs were escorts and not hostile jets shortly after the incident.
Birth of Air Force One due to near collision
Air Force One is not a specific plane. It is an air traffic control designation used for any US Air Force aircraft with Potus on board. The name was coined when a plane carrying then-President Dwight Eisenhower, identified by air controllers as “Air Force 8610,” was flying over New York City and had a near-collision mid-air with a commercial airliner with the same flight number.
This encounter prompted the US Federal Aviation Administration to designate a call-sign for any aircraft the president was flying in, resulting in the birth of Air Force One.
With inputs from agencies
