Journalist – Aaron is an aviation and travel journalist with 14 years of experience in the travel and tourism industry. His background spans airport operations, aviation infrastructure, and travel consulting, having worked with global organizations across New Zealand, Europe, and North America. Combining industry expertise with firsthand travel experience across more than 52 countries and five continents, Aaron covers airlines, airports, aviation policy, and the wider travel sector. He is based in Canterbury, New Zealand. His work has been published in Simple Flying and featured by MSN, SAM CHUI Aviation & Travel, EIN News, Pakistan Defence, and Climate Depot.
An assassination threat from Iran forced the United States President Donald Trump to be secretly moved between aircraft in the back of a catering truck during a visit by the President to Turkey last month. This occurred when the President was set to fly on board Air Force One from Ankara, after attending the NATO summit.
Moments after Trump boarded the Boeing 747, he was asked to sneak out of the aircraft in a catering truck to another waiting Boeing 757 (Boeing Air Force C-32A), which then transported him unknowingly to others. Trump then safely arrived in Britain on the backup aircraft.
A Deception Operation To Keep The President Safe From An Assassination Threat
The trip had already grabbed headlines after the President had flown the newly renovated Qatari-donated Boeing 747 to Ankara; however then announced, for old times’ sake, he would be returning on the older Air Force One aircraft. This raised questions about whether the new plane had been fitted with sufficient security measures.
The trip to Ankara was the first international voyage for the new superjumbo, which has been rapidly renovated following its donation from Qatar, and met with widespread speculation over the cost and security. A threat from Iran, a country bordering Turkey, forced the President to ditch the older 747 and sneak onto a waiting 757.
Trump then flew from Ankara to RAF Mildenhall in Britain on the smaller aircraft, while the new and old Air Force One followed and also stopped at this base, where several other US service members are stationed, and met the aircraft for a tour.
Deception Operation Triggered And Moved The President From Air Force One
Trump had boarded the older Air Force plane in Ankara when the assassination threat forced the President to opt to have the plane fly as a decoy as he secretly snuck into the catering truck and then onto the secondary aircraft. The window shades were kept closed, fooling reporters that the President was on the aircraft.
Trump then traveled on the C-32A to Britain, arriving at RAF Mildenhall at 10:20 PM that evening. The second Air Force One airplane then landed shortly after. It was then somehow arranged, and remains unclear, that the President was then transferred back onto Air Force One before descending the stairs.
During Trump’s visit to Britain, he did not speak with reporters, but did show a peace sign. Trump then spent time greeting the service members before walking towards the new Air Force One airplane. The Pentagon has not shared any comment on the event, as reported by Reuters.
A former Air Force official claimed there wasn’t enough time to equip the aircraft with all of the “normal” modifications.
Secret Mission Kept From Some White House Staff
In a report by the Washington Post, the deceptive clandestine mission was kept from reporters and several White House staff, who unknowingly thought they were flying on Air Force One with the president. The Trump Administration claimed that the president had departed from Ankara on July 8 onboard Air Force One, before being shuttled elsewhere minutes after.
The catering truck, which is more commonly used for loading meals and other supplies for the flight, instead was used as a decoy for one of the most powerful men on earth to transport him safely and unsuspectedly to the neighboring aircraft. Officials familiar with the operation have continued to explain they are not authorized to talk about the matter, and publicly the White House has repeatedly noted that the President left Turkey onboard the Boeing 747 that has served as Air Force One.
This occasion, where Trump secretly was transferred to a separate aircraft, sets a rare precedent for the US president to be traveling without other members of the White House press corps. This credible threat by Iran set the deception operation into full swing and triggered the need for the additional precautions, which involved the use of the C-32A as the president’s form of transport out of Turkey to Britain.
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