U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s Boeing 737 plane suffered mechanical failure during his trip to Europe for NATO meetings on Wednesday, Daily Mail reported.
Blinken’s Boeing 737 plane suffers mechanical failure, forced to make the 190 mile journey by bus from Paris to Brussels
This unexpected problem led to a delay and required Blinken and his team to take a road trip instead. They had to travel 193 miles from Paris to Brussels by bus, which took over four hours. Meanwhile, Jens Stoltenberg, the NATO Secretary General, is speaking to the foreign ministers at a special meeting celebrating the 75th anniversary of the alliance.
As a result of the Boeing 737 plane’s mechanical failure, Blinken arrived about two hours late. The modified Boeing 737 that Blinken uses during his travels around the world is owned and operated by the U.S. Air Force. His trips have often included visits to the Middle East.
Earlier in the year, Blinken also encountered an aircraft mechanical issue during his trip to the Davos gathering in Switzerland. Instead of flying, the top diplomat traveled by helicopter from Zurich for the annual meeting with top political and economic leaders in January.
Although he initially boarded his Boeing jet, he was informed that it was unable to fly. As a result, his traveling aides and the press had to fly commercially to return home.
Typically, Blinken travels on a fleet of government executive jets, which sport the same ‘seafoam blue’ paint job as the modified Boeing 757 that bears the Air Force One call sign when the president is on board. Similar planes are also used by the vice president.
Boeing’s ongoing crisis
Blinken’s Boeing 737 plane’s mechanical failure isn’t a standalone incident. Recently, a Delta Airlines flight made by Boeing took off from Aruba heading to Atlanta but had to turn back and make an emergency landing because one of its engines failed during takeoff.
This incident adds to Boeing’s series of problems as the company faces a tough year. Boeing CEO also stepped down as safety concerns increased.
President Biden joked about door safety on Air Force One during a fundraiser with Bill Clinton and Barack Obama.
The head of the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration emphasized that Boeing must improve its safety standards and address quality issues before the agency will allow an increase in production of the 737 MAX aircraft.
