US President Donald Trump was delayed when travelling to Dallas for the Republican midterm convention when an emergency slide on the Qatar-gifted Air Force One was inflated accidentally.
On September 9, 2026, President Trump arrived at Joint Base Andrews expecting a swift takeoff, but instead faced a short wait inside Marine One while the situation was resolved.
According to US media, military personnel accidentally triggered Air Force One’s emergency slide during pre-flight checks.
Footage captured at Joint Base Andrews shows two figures in the distance scrambling to rectify the situation. The emergency slide was eventually removed.
President Trump spoke with reporters while waiting and was asked if he was sure the plane is safe to fly.
“Yeah, I am — or I wouldn’t be on it,” Trump replied.
President Trump took his first flight on the Qatar-gifted Boeing 747 on July 1, 2026, flying from Joint Base Andrews in Maryland to Medora, North Dakota.
The US Air Force said that the aircraft “fulfills an imperative to relieve pressure on the aging VC-25A fleet,” providing presidential airlift operations until the long-term Boeing VC-25B enters service.
Painted in new red, white and blue livery, the Qatar-gifted Boeing 747 maintains much of the previous head of state interior layout.
The US Department of Defense officially accepted the Boeing 747-8 business jet from Qatar in May 2025, despite criticism that the exchange amounted to corruption.
An Atlas Air 747-8F was also leased in 2025 to begin training pilots and maintainers and was followed by the purchase of a Lufthansa 747-8i as a full-time training asset for the entire crew complement.