Air traffic controllers were forced to issue an urgent demand Tuesday to pilots of a Spirit Airlines passenger flight, ordering them to move away from Air Force One as it transported President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump to the United Kingdom.
While flying over Long Island, Spirit Airlines Flight 1300 came within miles of Air Force One, prompting air traffic controllers in New York to warn the pilots to turn right, an order which they seemingly did not heed at first.
“Pay attention. Spirit 1300, turn 20 degrees right,” an air traffic controller said in audio obtained by an X user. “Spirit 1300 turn 20 degrees, right now.”
For a third time, the air traffic controller told the pilots to follow instructions “immediately” and raised his voice. Spirit Airlines 1300 then followed instructions and confirmed they would keep an eye out for the “white and blue” 747 plane.
“I gotta talk to you twice every time,” the air traffic controller said. “Pay attention. Get off the iPad.”
Spirit 1300 was flying from Fort Lauderdale to Boston, according to FlightRadar24. It appeared to be flying parallel to Air Force One, which was carrying the Trumps from Washington, D.C, to London for a second state visit with King Charles III and Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
“Safety is always our top priority,” a spokesperson for Spirit Airlines said in a statement. “Spirit Airlines flight 1300 (FLL-BOS) followed procedures and Air Traffic Control (ATC) instructions while en route to Boston (BOS) and landed uneventfully at BOS.”
Although the air traffic controller was firm with the Spirit Airlines pilot, neither plane was in danger of exceeding the Federal Aviation Administration standards for New York airspace. Passenger planes are required to keep at least 1.5 miles of lateral separation and 500 miles of horizontal separation.
However, the audio of the touchy conversation went viral on X, likely because it involved Air Force One.
Trump is on a historic trip to the U.K., the first U.S. president to be invited for a second state visit. The Trumps landed late on Tuesday evening to begin nearly two days of pageantry and international political talks.
On Wednesday, they met with the Royal Family and toured Windsor estate in a carriage procession. They’re expected to attend a state banquet Wednesday evening.
