US President Donald Trump was not the first American president to use a decoy plane as a security measure during a foreign trip.
Trump secretly flew out of Turkey in July aboard a military aircraft while the White House publicly indicated that he was travelling on the traditional Air Force One, according to The Washington Post. The move was to pre-empt security threats from Iran.
A similar tactic was used by former US President Bill Clinton during his 2000 visit to India and Pakistan, according to USA Today.
Clinton flew from India to Pakistan aboard an unmarked aircraft that followed the traditional Air Force One. The plan was kept secret until Clinton stepped out of the second plane after landing in Islamabad for a six-hour visit under tight security.
The security precautions were so unusual that White House officials briefed members of the press travelling with Clinton about the arrangements.
The journalist, covering the trip for USA TODAY and was then president of the White House Correspondents Association, said Joe Lockhart and other Oval Office officials spoke to him about the security arrangements before the flight left Mumbai.
During the off-the-record conversation, officials discussed the extraordinary security measures and concerns about the safety of journalists travelling on the familiar Air Force One as well as those aboard a larger chartered press plane, which landed in Islamabad before the White House aircraft.
The journalist said he was aboard that press plane and, as far as he knew, was the only reporter aware that Clinton had switched aircraft. "Of course, when he landed, the world realized he had switched to the unmarked plane," the journalist said.
Trump visited Turkey in July. He had arrived on a new Boeing 747-8 aircraft gifted by Qatar, which was expected to eventually serve as the new Air Force One. The new plane does not yet have all the defensive security systems found on the older Air Force One.
So, officials came up with a plan to make everyone believe Trump was leaving on the old Air Force One, while secretly moving him to another aircraft. There were three aircraft at the Turkish airport. The new Qatari aircraft left Turkey first. Then Trump boarded the old Air Force One in front of cameras, reported the Washington Post.
Later, Trump and some aides reportedly got into an airport catering truck. The truck has a large container normally used for catering supplies. The container was raised using hydraulic equipment until it reached the level of the aircraft door.
Trump reportedly used this truck to leave Air Force One without being seen by people who were not part of the operation. The truck then moved toward the smaller C-32A aircraft. Some people involved in the operation apparently did not even know the full plan.
