United States President Donald Trump's Qatari-gifted Air Force One saw a delay as he was preparing to travel to a Republican Party convention in Dallas from Joint Base Andrews. The accidental deployment of an emergency inflatable slide slide caused a delay. Later, Trump said that his Air Force One aircraft was safe to fly.
After reporters asked whether Trump was sure the jet was safe to fly, the US President said: "Yeah, I am, or I wouldn't be on it." (AFP)
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Trump, who was preparing to travel to a Republican Party convention in Dalla had to wait in his helicopter before being able to board the plane. "They're checking the slide over here, and I think it's going to take 15 minutes," Trump told reporters on the tarmac before boarding.
But a person briefed on the situation later told news agency AFP that "military personnel accidentally triggered the slide."
Speaking to reporters amid the delay, the US President dismissed safety concerns and reassured the media that the plane was safe to fly.
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After reporters asked whether Trump was sure the jet was safe to fly, the US President said: "Yeah, I am, or I wouldn't be on it."
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After reporters asked whether Trump was sure the jet was safe to fly, the US President said: "Yeah, I am, or I wouldn't be on it."
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Trump also told reporters that the slide was "being checked" to ensure everything is in order. However, the brief given to reporters on the tarmac said that military personnel accidentally triggered the emergency evacuation slide on the Air Force One aircraft.
White House Communications Director Steven Cheung also stated that the slide was out to make sure "everything works perfectly."
Safety concerns over Qatari jet
The Qatari plane, repainted in a red, white and blue livery chosen by Trump, was last in the spotlight in July, after news came that the US President had to switch aeroplanes after the NATO Summit in Turkey due to a security threat.
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Trump pretended to board the old Air Force One as planned, only to secretly deplane from a different door, into a catering truck that took him to a third plane.
The Qatari royal family donated the luxurious jet to Trump in 2025 after the US president complained about the condition of the two older Air Force One aircraft, which feature a distinctive white, silver and robin's egg blue colour scheme and have been in service since 1990.
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Home/World News/Trump's Qatari Air Force One delayed in US after evacuation slide deployed, he answers if its ‘safe to fly’
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