ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images
- A Spirit Airlines flight annoyed air traffic controllers by flying close to Air Force One.
- The controller raised his voice and told the pilot: “Pay attention. Get off the iPad.”
- Trump landed in the UK on Tuesday ahead of a state visit.
A pair of Spirit Airlines pilots were admonished by air traffic control after flying too close to Air Force One.
President Donald Trump was traveling to the UK on Tuesday for a state visit when the incident occurred.
Almost 30 minutes after taking off from Joint Base Andrews, the presidential jet was flying over Long Island, New York.
At the same time, Spirit Airlines Flight 1300 was also flying in the area, taking passengers from Fort Lauderdale to Boston.
As the Airbus A321 flew toward Air Force One, an air traffic controller intervened.
“Spirit 1300, turn 20 degrees right,” the controller said in an audio recording published by LiveATC.net. “Pay attention, Spirit 1300, turn 20 degrees right.”
The controller can be heard growing impatient and raising his voice, directing the pilots four times before they respond.
“Traffic’s off your left wing by six miles or eight miles. 747, I’m sure you can see who it is,” he added.
Air Force One is a VC-25A, a militarized version of the double-decker Boeing 747 airliner.
“Keep an eye out for him, he’s white and blue,” he also said.
The planes’ flight paths later crossed over Long Island Sound, about a minute apart, with the Spirit plane 9,000 feet below Air Force One.
But the controller still made sure the A321 pilots knew he wasn’t happy with their communication.
“I got to talk to you twice every time?” he said. “Pay attention. Get off the iPad.”
Pilots often use tablets as electronic flight bags, replacing the physical version that contained paper maps and charts. Apps can also show live weather and GPS.
“Spirit Airlines flight 1300 followed procedures and Air Traffic Control instructions while en route to Boston and landed uneventfully,” a Spirit spokesperson told Business Insider.
“Safety is always our top priority.”
Air Force One landed at London Stansted Airport about 9 p.m. local time, five and a half hours after the incident.
Trump spent the night at the US ambassador’s London residence before meeting with King Charles III on Wednesday.
The visit also saw billions of dollars in tech investments announced, with Google and Nvidia pledging to help boost AI services in the UK.
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