By Open Chronicle with agencies
US President Donald Trump faced an unusual delay aboard Air Force One on Wednesday after an emergency evacuation slide was accidentally deployed during preparations for his flight to Dallas, temporarily preventing the presidential aircraft from departing Joint Base Andrews.
The incident occurred on September 9 as Trump prepared to travel to Texas for the Republican midterm convention. The aircraft involved was the Boeing 747 transferred to the United States by Qatar and introduced into presidential service earlier this year.
Trump remained aboard Marine One for a short period while military personnel dealt with the problem.
Emergency slide deployed during preflight preparations
According to US media reports, personnel accidentally activated one of the Boeing 747’s emergency evacuation slides during preflight checks at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland.
Footage from the airfield appeared to show personnel working around the aircraft as preparations were made to resolve the situation. The deployed slide was eventually removed, allowing the presidential flight to proceed.
Although accidental deployment of an evacuation slide can cause significant operational disruption, there was no indication that the incident represented a broader safety problem with the aircraft.
The delay nevertheless produced an unusual scene at one of the most carefully controlled aviation operations in the world, where presidential flights involve extensive security, maintenance and logistical preparations.
Trump says he is confident aircraft is safe
Trump spoke to reporters while waiting to depart and was asked whether he remained confident that the aircraft was safe to fly.
“Yeah, I am, or I wouldn’t be on it,” the president replied.
Once the emergency equipment issue had been resolved, Trump continued his journey to Dallas, where Republicans were gathering for their midterm convention.
The episode attracted additional attention because the aircraft is a relatively recent addition to the presidential fleet and has already been surrounded by political controversy.
The Qatar gifted Boeing 747
Trump made his first presidential flight aboard the aircraft on July 1, travelling from Joint Base Andrews to Medora, North Dakota.
The Boeing 747-8 was formally accepted by the US Department of Defense from Qatar in May 2025. Its transfer generated intense political debate in Washington, with critics raising ethical, security and constitutional concerns about accepting such a valuable aircraft from a foreign government.
The administration defended the arrangement, while the US Air Force subsequently worked to prepare the aircraft for presidential transportation.
It now carries a distinctive red, white and blue exterior while retaining significant elements of its previous head of state interior configuration.
A temporary solution for an aging presidential fleet
The Air Force has described the aircraft as an interim solution intended to reduce pressure on the existing VC-25A fleet.
The two VC-25A aircraft traditionally associated with Air Force One are heavily modified Boeing 747-200Bs that entered presidential service in 1990. Their age has made maintenance increasingly demanding as the United States waits for their permanent replacements.
The Air Force has said the newer aircraft helps provide presidential airlift capacity until Boeing’s long delayed VC-25B programme enters operational service.
Air Force One is technically the call sign assigned to any US Air Force aircraft carrying the president, rather than the name of a particular aircraft, although it has become closely associated with the presidential Boeing 747 fleet.
Training expanded around the 747-8
The United States has also expanded its Boeing 747-8 training infrastructure as it prepares for a future presidential fleet based on the newer version of the aircraft.
An Atlas Air Boeing 747-8F was leased in 2025 to support training for pilots and maintenance personnel.
That was followed by the acquisition of a former Lufthansa Boeing 747-8 passenger aircraft to serve as a dedicated training platform for the broader presidential airlift crew.
The measures are designed to familiarize personnel with the newer 747 generation while reducing the training burden on aircraft required for operational presidential missions.
Attention remains on the future VC-25B
Ultimately, the Qatar supplied aircraft is not intended to replace the purpose built VC-25B programme permanently.
Boeing is developing two extensively modified 747-8 aircraft to become the next generation presidential transports. The programme has faced substantial delays and rising costs, forcing the Air Force to find ways of maintaining sufficient presidential airlift capacity in the meantime.
Wednesday’s emergency slide incident appears to have been a relatively minor operational mishap rather than a technical failure of the aircraft itself.
But because it occurred aboard one of the world’s most recognizable presidential assets, and aboard an aircraft whose acquisition has already attracted considerable political scrutiny, an accidental deployment moments before departure quickly became considerably more newsworthy than an ordinary preflight delay.