Forbes "The aircraft carrying President Donald Trump to Davos was forced to turn around and return to Joint Base Andrews late Tuesday, after pilots detected a “minor electrical issue,” meaning the president flew to Switzerland on a backup jet.
. . . "Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who is already in Davos, told reporters that Trump will arrive there at least three hours later than planned due to the issue with Air Force One.
What Do We Know About The Presidential Jet?
"The aircraft initially carrying President Donald Trump to Switzerland was a Boeing VC-25A, the specialized version of the 747 jumbo jet that primarily serves as Air Force One. The ageing aircraft has been been serving as the presidential transport since 1990, and Boeing has been working on a replacement VC-25B, based on the newer 747-8 Intercontinental. However delivery of the new planes has been delayed from its initially planned date of 2024 to 2027. Trump has regularly voiced his frustrations over the delays and has threatened to seek out alternatives.
Tangent
"While the Air Force operates two VC-25A’s, ADB-S tracking data showed the president and his delegation flew to Switzerland onboard a Boeing C-32A, which is based on the Boeing 757. Although the C-32A has occasionally been deployed to serve as Air Force One, the plane is primarily used to transport other senior officials like the Vice President (under the call sign Air Force Two), the secretary of state and the First Lady. With Trump on board, however, the smaller jet is still called Air Force One, as that is the standard call sign for any Air Force aircraft with the president on board." . . .
"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." . . .
Air Force One’s recent history of malfunctions after Trump forced to delay arrival in Davos . . . "Trump has frequently complained that the two specially modified Boeing 747s currently serving as Air Force One have been in service for almost 40 years and are in need of an upgrade, an argument seemingly reinforced by Tuesday’s scare.
"His predecessor, Barack Obama, shared the same view and awarded Boeing a contract to build two new VC-25B planes as replacements in 2016, although they are still not expected to be delivered until 2029, a matter of frustration to Trump, who is likely to have left office before they arrive."
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