By Lex Harvey, CNN
(CNN) — President Donald Trump is once again on his way to Davos, Switzerland, aboard a backup plane, after a technical issue forced Air Force One to return to Joint Base Andrews.
Air Force One was in the air Tuesday evening when it turned around due to a “minor electrical issue,” according to the White House, which said the decision was made out of an abundance of caution.
Open-source flight tracking data from ADS-B Exchange shows the plane making a turn over the Atlantic Ocean off the easternmost tip of Long Island, New York, over an hour into the flight.
The plane landed safely in Maryland just after 11 p.m. ET and Trump was wheels up in a new aircraft used as Air Force One roughly an hour later, en route to the World Economic Forum.
After the original aircraft landed, staffers scrambled to transfer luggage between the planes while crew quickly moved boxes of fruit, and wrapped sandwiches and beverages, according to pool reporters, a group of journalists who accompany the president during travels.
Air Force One, or AF1 on flight tracking websites, is the call sign for whatever plane the president is aboard, not the name of the aircraft itself.
This is the second time in recent months Trump has been forced to turn to a backup aircraft.
During a September visit to the United Kingdom, Trump and first lady Melania Trump safely boarded a support helicopter after the one they were traveling in experienced a hydraulic issue and was forced to land at a local airfield, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt announced at the time.
The Boeing 747 jets used as Air Force One have been in service for more than 35 years. Delays in replacing them have angered Trump and cost Boeing billions.
The next generation of jets, which were initially supposed to be delivered in 2022, are set to arrive in mid-2028. In December, the US Air Force awarded a $15.5 million modification to its existing contract with Boeing, bringing the face value of the contract to over $4.3 billion.
Meanwhile, the Air Force announced last month it would purchase two additional Boeing jets from the German carrier Lufthansa to support its future presidential airlift program, with delivery dates slated for this year.
There’s also a Qatari jet, which was gifted to Trump last year, that is undergoing modifications to be used as Air Force One, sparking legal, ethical and security concerns. The president has said that jet could be ready for use next month, despite deep skepticism from experts and former aviation officials.
Despite the age of the jets, technical issues like the one experienced Tuesday are exceedingly rare on Air Force One.
In 2006, a mechanical issue grounded Air Force One while President George W. Bush was in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, forcing the president to fly in a backup plane.
The-CNN-Wire
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CNN’s Alexandra Skores, Alejandra Jaramillo, Kevin Liptak Kristen Holmes, Pete Muntean, Kaitlan Collins and Mary Kay Mallonnee contributed reporting.
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