United States: Donald Trump's departure aboard Air Force One delayed after a rare accident

The Boeing gifted by Qatar to Donald Trump, which has had a difficult start-up, took off late on Wednesday due to the unexpected deployment of an evacuation slide, which a source close to the matter attributed to human error.

A new problem has been detected on the aircraft gifted by the Qatari royal family. The Boeing , presented by Qatar to Donald Trump and experiencing a difficult start-up, took off late on Wednesday due to the unexpected deployment of an evacuation slide.

President Trump's Texas trip was delayed on Wednesday after an inflatable emergency slide on the new Qatar-gifted Air Force One deployed on the tarmac before he boarded, prompting workers to remove it.

A member of the plane's Air Force crew accidentally triggered the inflatable… pic.twitter.com/otpDfCxI5L

— CBS News (@CBSNews)

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"They are checking the slide and I think it will take about fifteen minutes," the US president said during a brief exchange on the tarmac with a group of journalists accompanying him on a trip to Dallas (United States).

A source close to the case indicated that the slide had been "accidentally deployed" by the Air Force, which operates "Air Force One".

Upon arriving at Andrews Air Force Base near Washington, the US president remained aboard his helicopter for an unusually long time before finally boarding Air Force One. This gave journalists time to observe an inflatable slide deployed on the far side of the aircraft and to note that the former presidential plane had also been positioned on the tarmac with its jetways extended.

The new aircraft, painted in colors chosen by Donald Trump, finally took off for Texas, where the US president spoke at a Republican convention aimed at mobilizing Republicans for the midterm legislative elections scheduled for November.

Work to strengthen security will begin in October.

The Qatari plane had been in the spotlight in July when Donald Trump decided at the last minute not to take it to leave the NATO summit in Turkey.

The American president had pretended to board the old Boeing, but then secretly changed planes in a refueling truck, due to threats to his security.

Donald Trump recently announced that work to strengthen the security of the new aircraft would begin in October and would last longer than expected.

The Qatari royal family donated the luxury jet last year after the Republican leader complained about the condition of the two older Air Force Ones, which had been in service since 1990. The gift, valued at several hundred million dollars, raised major ethical and constitutional questions about gifts a president can receive from abroad.

The new aircraft has already been refurbished by the military. It is intended to be used while awaiting the delivery of two new Boeing aircraft in the coming years. Donald Trump has indicated that he intends to keep this Qatari-owned aircraft for his future presidential museum.