As US President Donald Trump concluded his official visit to the United Kingdom, the helicopter carrying him had to change course and land at Luton Airport.
According to White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, the plane landed at a “local airfield due to a minor hydraulic issue” and arrived at Stansted about 20 minutes later than planned.
Trump and first lady Melania Trump “safely boarded the support helicopter,” she added, adding that the choice was made “out of an abundance of caution.”
After the landing, emergency personnel could be seen on the Luton Airport tarmac.
Trump’s helicopters, referred to as Marine One and Marine Two, are seen in separate photos off Luton’s runway.
Because of their livery, Marine One and Marine Two are referred to as “white tops” due to their being specially adapted aircrafts.
In addition to electronics built to survive the electromagnetic pulse of a nuclear bomb, they are equipped with radar jamming and missile defence systems.
Marine One frequently flies in a cluster of identical helicopters serving as decoys as a security precaution.
Additionally, it is typically accompanied by two or three Osprey MV-22s, which are tilt-rotor aircraft known as “green tops” that combine the efficiency and speed of an aircraft with the vertical landing capability of a helicopter.
To handle any mid-flight emergency, the Ospreys are equipped with secret service agents, special forces, and support personnel.
During his historic second state visit to the UK, Trump had been using the Marine One helicopter to travel between locations.
He was flown to Winfield House, the official residence of the US ambassador to the UK, in central London after arriving at Stansted late on Tuesday evening.
Trump and Melania met the King Charles III and Queen Camilla at Windsor Castle the next day after taking a plane there.
Trump travelled from Windsor to Chequers on Marine One on Thursday to hold diplomatic discussions with UK’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
The two leaders discussed several issues during a joint press conference at Chequers, including illegal migration, Gaza, and Ukraine, a topic Trump said Britain might resolve by deploying the military.
Trump claimed to have “a disagreement with the prime minister” about the statehood of Palestine.
Prior to the United Nations general assembly in New York next week, Starmer intends to acknowledge Palestine’s statehood.