Pay attention: Trump's Air Force One has close encounter with Spirit Jet

New Delhi,UPDATED: Sep 17, 2025 23:56 IST

A Spirit Airlines flight had a close encounter with Air Force One as it carried President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump to London on Tuesday.

Spirit Flight 1300, an Airbus A321 travelling from Fort Lauderdale to Boston, crossed paths with Air Force One’s Boeing 747 over Long Island, prompting urgent warnings from air traffic controllers in New York’s congested skies.

“Pay attention. Spirit 1300, turn 20 degrees right,” an air traffic controller said in audio captured on liveatc.net and reported by CBS News. When the pilots were slow to respond, the controller pressed again: “Spirit 1300 turn 20 degrees, right now.”

Controllers repeatedly raised their voices, warning the pilots of the “white and blue” 747 nearby. At one point, the frustrated controller quipped: “I gotta talk to you twice every time. Pay attention. Get off the iPad.”

The Spirit aircraft eventually altered course and continued to Boston without incident.

Preliminary data from Flightradar24 showed the Spirit Airbus and Air Force One were flying roughly parallel at a distance of 8 to 11 miles, still within Federal Aviation Administration safety standards, which require at least 1.5 miles lateral and 500 feet vertical separation in New York airspace.

“Safety is always our top priority,” Spirit Airlines told Newsweek in a statement. “Spirit Airlines flight 1300 (FLL-BOS) followed procedures and Air Traffic Control (ATC) instructions while en route to Boston and landed uneventfully.”

The incident occurred as Trump flew to the United Kingdom, becoming the first US president to be invited for a second state visit with King Charles III and Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

- Ends