Air Traffic Control Scramble: Spirit Airlines Flight Nears Air Force One
Air Traffic Control Scramble: Spirit Airlines Flight Nears Air Force One
Newly surfaced details reveal an urgent air traffic control intervention involving Spirit Airlines flight 1300 and Air Force One. Recordings from liveatc.net capture controllers repeatedly ordering the Spirit aircraft to alter its course over Long Island, New York, citing proximity to the presidential plane.
The incident occurred while Air Force One, carrying then-President Trump and first lady Melania Trump, was en route to a state visit in the United Kingdom. Preliminary flight data from flightradar24.com indicates the Spirit Airbus A321 and Air Force One were at one point eight miles apart, with a closest potential convergence path of 11 miles.
Controllers were heard exclaiming, “Pay attention. Spirit 1300 turn 20 degrees right, immediately.” After the pilots acknowledged, a controller added, “Pay attention. Spirit 1300 traffic off your left wing by six mi– or eight miles, 747. I’m sure you can see who it is. Keep an eye out for him — he’s white and blue.”
Despite the urgency, the FAA later stated that a preliminary investigation showed “aircraft maintained the required separation,” meaning the planes were never at an unsafe distance. A Spirit Airlines spokesperson confirmed that flight 1300 followed all procedures and ATC instructions, landing uneventfully.
The incident, first highlighted by aviation tracker @xjonnyc on social media, concluded with controllers quipping, “Pay attention. Get off the iPad.”
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