What happened
One Mile at a Time reports that President Trump boarded the VC-25A in Ankara on July 8, 2026 after a NATO summit, then left by catering truck and flew a C-32A to RAF Mildenhall while the VC-25A departed as a decoy.
His inbound aircraft was a $400 million Boeing 747-8 given by Qatar, fitted out on a short timeline and missing safety equipment from the older Air Force One. The gifted 747 left Ankara first without him. Officials hid his outbound aircraft after reports of an Iranian assassination plot. Those on the VC-25A were told to pull the window shades and did not know he had already left. The VC-25A kept the Air Force One callsign. The C-32A carried Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. It flew as Reach 18, passed the decoy and arrived first at RAF Mildenhall. He later switched back to the VC-25A so arrival photos would show him leaving that jet.
Air Force One's callsign and a public boarding can be decoys, so the jet that looks like Air Force One may not be carrying the president. There is nothing to book, so treat the episode as an aviation security anecdote rather than a loyalty or fare event.
- Numbers
- $400 million: reported value of the Qatar-gifted Boeing 747-8
- Where
- Ankara, RAF Mildenhall, Turkey, United Kingdom
- Takeaway
- There is nothing to book; treat it as an aviation security anecdote, not a loyalty or fare event.