US President Donald Trump's Qatari-gifted Air Force One experienced a delay on the tarmac at Joint Base Andrews on Wednesday after an emergency inflatable slide accidentally deployed. This incident has once again raised questions about the safety of the aircraft, which was donated by the Qatari royal family last year.
Incident on the Tarmac
Trump, who was preparing to travel to a Republican Party convention in Dallas, had to wait in his helicopter before boarding the plane. The 80-year-old president informed reporters that inspectors were checking one of the Boeing 747's inflatable slides used for emergency evacuations. 'They're checking the slide over here, and I think it's going to take 15 minutes,' Trump said on the tarmac before boarding.
A source briefed on the situation later revealed to AFP that'military personnel accidentally triggered the slide.' This unexpected event added to the growing concerns about the aircraft's safety, especially following a recent incident in Turkey where Trump secretly switched to a different aircraft amid security concerns.
Ongoing Safety Concerns
The Qatari plane, repainted in a red, white, and blue livery chosen by Trump, has been the subject of recurring safety questions. In July, Trump decided at the last minute not to join press and top administration members on the jet leaving the NATO summit in Turkey, opting instead for a different plane due to a reported security threat from Iran involving a surface-to-air missile.
Trump recently announced that work to enhance security measures on the new jet would begin in October and take two months—a month longer than previously stated. The donated plane, valued at several hundred million dollars, has also raised major ethical and constitutional questions regarding gifts a US president may receive from foreign governments, as well as concerns about the security of military equipment given by a foreign power.
Despite these concerns, Trump has indicated that he intends to keep the Qatari plane for his future presidential museum. The jet has already been refitted by the military and is to be used until Boeing delivers two new aircraft in the coming years.
