"Electrical problem"

On the way to Davos: Trump’s plane had to turn back

Air Force One had to land back at Joint Base Andrews in the meantime.(Bild: AFP/CHIP SOMODEVILLA)

US President Donald Trump is eagerly awaited in Switzerland today, where he is scheduled to speak at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos. However, his arrival has been delayed: Air Force One was already in the air when it had to turn back due to a "minor electrical problem."

Shortly after takeoff late in the evening (local time), the crew on board the presidential plane discovered the problem, Trump's spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt told journalists traveling with him. As a precaution, they turned back, landed at Joint Base Andrews military airfield near the US capital Washington, and transferred to another plane. This delayed the trip by about two and a half hours. In Switzerland, Trump's speech was originally scheduled for Wednesday at 2:30 p.m. Before his departure, Trump said he had "no idea" how his visit to Davos would go.

Presidential plane has more than 30 years under its belt
The two current aircraft assigned the call sign Air Force One are getting on in years. They were put into service in the 1990s under President George H.W. Bush. Last year, despite allegations of corruption, the US government accepted a luxury jet from Qatar as a gift. The US Department of Defense announced extensive security measures so that the Boeing 747 could be used as the presidential aircraft. To dispel suspicions of bribery on the part of President Donald Trump, the $400 million "donation" from Qatar officially went to the Pentagon.

Air Force One had to land back at Joint Base Andrews in the meantime.(Bild: AFP/CHIP SOMODEVILLA)

Church as headquarters
Trump is traveling with the largest US delegation the WEF has ever seen. The Americans have chosen a church as their headquarters. His appearance means that this year's meeting of top managers and leading politicians in the Swiss mountains will be dominated by geopolitics. The motto is "In the spirit of dialogue." And so the Europeans hope to be able to confront Trump personally in the winding congress center. There is plenty to discuss: for example, the annexation fantasies for Greenland, tariff announcements against allies, and plans for a controversial "peace council."

On Tuesday, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and French President Emmanuel Macron already had the chance to set the tone: they condemned Trump's actions with regard to Greenland, but remained relatively restrained.

Trump confident of solution
A few hours before his departure, Trump expressed confidence that a solution would be found that would make NATO and the US "very happy." At the same time, Trump reiterated his position that the US needed Greenland for security reasons. When asked how far he would go to bring the island into US possession, Trump said, "You'll see." When asked about the fact that Greenlanders did not want to belong to the US, Trump said that when he spoke to them, they would surely be enthusiastic.

Chancellor Christian Stocker (ÖVP) is also in Davos. A meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is planned for Wednesday, among other things, but it is still uncertainwhether Zelensky will come to Davos. According to Kiev, participation depends on whether there will be a "substantial meeting" between the Ukrainian president and Trump. The focus of Stocker's economic policy working meeting is the implementation of the newly adopted Austrian industrial strategy.