An Air Force aircraft transporting Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Sen. Jim Risch to Germany for the Munich Security Conference was compelled to return to Washington late Thursday due to a mechanical issue.
“While en route from Washington to Munich this evening, the plane carrying Secretary Rubio encountered a mechanical problem,” stated State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce.
“The aircraft has turned around and is heading back to Joint Base Andrews,” she added. “The secretary remains committed to continuing his trip to Germany and the Middle East using a different aircraft.”
Marco Rubio (Photo: AP)
The issue, which an official described as related to the cockpit windshield of the C-32, a modified Boeing 757, arose roughly 90 minutes after the flight departed from Joint Base Andrews, located just outside Washington.
Although Rubio intends to proceed with his travel aboard a replacement aircraft, it was not immediately certain whether the delay would affect his ability to attend a scheduled Friday morning meeting in Munich with Vice President JD Vance and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
