The American president is expected in Davos, Switzerland to participate in the World Economic Forum.

Donald Trump, here boarding Air Force One and leaving Washington for Switzerland, from Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland, on January 20, 2026.

Back to square one. Donald Trump's Air Force One was forced to turn back Tuesday evening due to a "minor electrical problem," shortly after departing for Davos, the White House announced.

Having departed at 9:34 p.m. (local time) from Andrews Air Force Base near Washington, Air Force One landed there again at 11:07 p.m. after diverting "as a precautionary measure," according to White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt.

According to journalists on board the aircraft, the lights inside the cabin briefly went out a few moments after takeoff.

Three hours late

The US president finally took off shortly after midnight aboard a second Air Force One, about two hours behind schedule, to attend the World Economic Forum in the Swiss Alps. Donald Trump is expected to meet with European leaders there to discuss Greenland.

A little later, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced that Donald Trump would arrive in Davos "about three hours late." His plane finally landed in Switzerland shortly before 1 p.m. French time.

The president has regularly expressed his dissatisfaction with Air Force One, a generic term for the two aging Boeing 747-200Bs in the presidential fleet, which entered service in the early 1990s under George HW Bush.

Faced with the delayed delivery of the two Boeing 747-8s ordered to replace them, Donald Trump said last year that he was "looking for an alternative" to the American aircraft manufacturer.

He was offered a Boeing 747-8 by Qatar for the presidential fleet, but the aircraft has not yet entered service and this donation has raised serious concerns regarding both integrity and safety.