Trump secretly switched planes after Iran threat on Turkiye-Britain journey

US President Donald Trump secretly switched aircraft while travelling from Turkiye to Britain last month after US intelligence flagged a credible threat linked to Iran, according to a report by The Washington Post. The move came against the backdrop of rising military tensions between Washington and Tehran.

Trump was seen boarding the Air Force One jumbo jet in Ankara before being moved minutes later to a smaller military aircraft, an Air Force C-32A, through an airport catering truck usually used to load meals and supplies, the report said. Reporters travelling on the older Air Force One were not told that Trump was not on board, effectively turning that flight into a decoy.

Trump had travelled to the NATO summit in Ankara on the Qatar-gifted Boeing 747-8 that was added to the presidential fleet last month, but he later said on social media that he would use the "former Air Force One" for the return journey. The Secret Service also asked reporters to keep the aircraft windows shut as the older blue-and-white Air Force One took off from Ankara for Britain.