US President Donald Trump reportedly departed a NATO summit in Ankara on 8 July by secretly transferring from the presidential aircraft to a smaller military plane, according to reports by the Washington Post and, according to Al Jazeera, the New York Times. The reported manoeuvre, which journalists and some White House staff travelling on Air Force One were said to be unaware of, was allegedly prompted by a credible Iranian threat to the president's aircraft.
Trump reportedly switched planes at Ankara airport amid alleged Iranian threat during NATO summit
US President Donald Trump reportedly departed a NATO summit in Ankara on 8 July by secretly transferring from the presidential aircraft to a smaller military plane, according to reports by the Washington Post and, according to Al Jazeera, the New York Times. The reported manoeuvre, which journalists and some White House staff travelling on Air Force One were said to be unaware of, was allegedly prompted by a credible Iranian threat to the president's aircraft.
Trump had publicly announced before leaving Ankara that he would depart on an older Boeing 747 version of Air Force One 'for old time's sake', having arrived in Turkey aboard a newer Boeing 747-8 gifted to the United States by Qatar. Television cameras captured him boarding the older presidential jet at Ankara airport.
According to the Washington Post, Trump was then covertly moved via an elevated airport catering truck to a C-32A military aircraft — a modified Boeing 757 frequently used by the vice president — on the opposite side of the plane from where he had boarded. Al Jazeera describes the vehicle as a 'catering container.' The older Air Force One was effectively used as a decoy.
Officials told CBS News, the BBC's US partner, that the US had detected a credible Iranian threat to fire a missile at the plane. The Washington Post cited a US official describing the episode as a 'deception operation' triggered by a credible Iran-related threat. Al Jazeera also notes that several US media outlets had previously reported that a threat from Iran-aligned armed groups had prompted the switch.
Journalists aboard Air Force One were reportedly advised to keep their window shades closed. According to both sources, some White House staff also believed the president remained on board.
According to the BBC, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth boarded the C-32A separately using external stairs in an effort to make the flight appear normal.
Trump subsequently travelled to the United Kingdom, where he was seen publicly descending from the older Air Force One after it landed at RAF Mildenhall, according to the BBC. Neither source establishes how he transferred from the C-32A back to that aircraft. Al Jazeera reports that Trump then flew to Washington, DC on the newer, Qatari-gifted plane.
The BBC notes the reported plane switch occurred a day after the US renewed military strikes on Iran following a breakdown in negotiations between Washington and Tehran. Trump had said during the summit that he was Iran's 'number one target.'
Al Jazeera reports that White House Communications Director Steve Cheung responded to news of the switch, saying the new Air Force One 'has been fitted with high-level security protocols' and that the administration uses 'every tool at our disposal to address those threats.' The White House has not confirmed the reported secret switch, according to the BBC.
Where sources differ
- The BBC attributes the reporting solely to the Washington Post, while Al Jazeera states that both the Washington Post and the New York Times reported the story.
- The BBC describes Trump's conveyance as an 'elevated airport catering truck,' while Al Jazeera refers to it as a 'catering container.' The underlying transport mechanism is consistent across sources but the specific description differs slightly.
- Al Jazeera states that prior US media reporting attributed the switch to a threat from 'Iran-aligned armed groups,' while the BBC and CBS News frame the threat more directly as an Iranian threat to fire a missile at the plane. The Washington Post, as cited by Al Jazeera, refers more broadly to a 'credible Iran-related threat.'
- The White House has not officially confirmed that the plane switch took place.
- It is not established by any source how Trump transferred from the C-32A back to the older Air Force One while in the United Kingdom.
- The specific nature, origin, and full details of the alleged Iranian threat have not been publicly disclosed.
- No response from Iran regarding the alleged threat or the reported operation has been included in either source.
- It is not established whether any formal security or intelligence review of the incident has been conducted or is planned.
- BBC News — original — by Jessica Rawnsley
- Al Jazeera English