Air traffic controllers ordered the pilots of a Spirit Airlines flight to turn away from Air Force One on Tuesday over Long Island, New York.
Spirit Airlines flight 1300 was traveling from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, to Boston, Massachusetts, as Air Force One carried President Donald Trump, First Lady Melania Trump, and others to the United Kingdom (UK) for a state visit.
“Spirit 1300 turn 20 degrees right. Pay attention, Spirit 1300 turn 20 degrees right. Spirit 1300 turn 20 degrees right, now. Spirit wings 1300 turn 20 degrees right, immediately,” an air traffic controller stated according to recordings from liveatc.net, CBS News said.
Flight data from flightradar24.com found that the Spirit Airlines flight and the president’s plane were flying parallel to each other eight miles apart.
“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,” the air traffic controller said.
“Safety is always our top priority. Spirit Airlines flight 1300 followed procedures and Air Traffic Control (ATC) instructions while en route to Boston and landed uneventfully (in Boston),” a Spirit Airlines spokesman told CBS.
CBS News reported:
Spirit pilot responses were inaudible due to static on the ATC audio, but the planes were never at what the FAA would consider an unsafe distance, though they clearly got closer than controllers wanted them to be.
The FAA issued a statement saying, “Preliminary investigation shows aircraft maintained the required separation.”
“Pay attention. Get off the iPad,” an air traffic controller remarked.
