While it’s common to see aircraft divert for technical reasons, it doesn’t typically happen to Air Force One. Then again, given the age of the planes that are usually operating these flights, it’s also not too surprising.
Trump’s flight to Switzerland diverts over electrical issue
Yesterday, President Trump was supposed to fly to Davos, Switzerland, to attend the World Economic Forum. Any plane with the President of the United States onboard has the callsign “Air Force One.” The primary planes that typically act as Air Force One are modified Boeing 747-200s, designated as the VC-25A.
On Tuesday, January 20, 2026, Air Force One departed from Andrews Air Force Base (ADW) in Maryland, and started its journey across the Atlantic to Davos, only to turn around roughly an hour after takeoff. The aircraft reportedly encountered a “minor electrical issue,” and no further details are known.
The plane landed back at Andrews Air Force Base shortly after 11PM. With the electrical problem not being able to be fixed on short notice, the decision was made to instead fly on a modified Air Force Boeing 757-200, designated as the FC-32.
The plane took off once again shortly after midnight, and completed the journey to Davos without further incident. As was the case on the previous flight, this also used the callsign “Air Force One.”
The Boeing 757 is the same kind of plane that Trump flew before he took office, though I’m guessing the government version doesn’t have quite as, umm, blingy of an interior.
Trump is of course frustrated by the age of Air Force One
While not specific to this incident, keep in mind that President Trump has been extremely frustrated and concerned about the age of Air Force One. The two VC-25As that typically fly as Air Force One are from the early 1990s, so they’re around 35 years old at this point.
While planes can safely fly for much longer than that, there’s no denying that more minor maintenance issues can arise as planes get older, leading to issues like this. However, Trump’s primary concern seems to be how ugly the interior of the plane is, at least based on his commentary in the past.
While there are plans for a couple of new Boeing 747-8s to act as Air Force One in the future, that project has been delayed by many years. Trump has grown impatient, so we’re currently seeing a Boeing 747-8 that’s a gift from Qatar being retrofitted to be able to operate as Air Force One, because Trump wants it flying ASAP. Once Trump is out of office, the plane won’t stay with the Air Force, but instead, will enter Trump’s Presidential Library.
Bottom line
President Trump’s trip to Davos didn’t exactly go as planned, after Air Force One had to return to Andrews Air Force Base due to an electrical issue.
While the flight was operated by a modified Boeing 747-200 (designated as the VC-25A), the replacement flight was operated by a modified Boeing 757-200 (designated as the FC-32). So while not quite as spacious of a ride across the Atlantic, the aircraft swap caused a minimal delay.
What do you make of this Air Force One diversion?
