Top US diplomat Antony Blinken briefly stuck in Davos after plane faces ‘critical failure’

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken was briefly stuck in Davos, Switzerland and had to switch planes after his aircraft suffereda “critical failure” due to an oxygen leak, said officials, on Wednesday (Jan 17). A separate plane was sent to bring Washington’s top diplomat and his aides back to the US.

What happened?

The incident occurred when Blinken was to leave the Swiss city after attending the World Economic Forum (WEF), where he attended a day and a half of meetings.

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America’s top diplomat had taken a helicopter from Davos to Zurich, where he boarded his plane. According to CNN, Blinken and his travelling party had boarded a Boeing 737 jet.

However, the US official, members of the press travelling with him and his aides were forced to deplane after the leak was detected.

A smaller plane was sent to fetch Blinken, while members of the press and his aides were told to make arrangements to fly back to Washington commercially.

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Since the delay occurred at the end of his trip, the itinerary or any of his other engagements were not affected, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller told reporters on Wednesday.

“There was a mechanical issue with his plane,” said Miller. He added, “The Air Force has a replacement plane inbound. We expect to be back still tonight but several hours later than originally planned.”

Alaska mid-air blowout

The issue with Blinken’s plane comes at a bad time for Boeing whose once-stellar reputation has taken a massive hit after an Alaska Airlines flight’s window and a chunk of fuselage blew out mid-air. The incident involved a Boeing 737 Max 9.

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Since then the company’s CEO has admitted that it was their mistake and took responsibility for a near-catastrophic mid-air blowout. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has now grounded all 737 Max 9 planes in the US.

Notably, the Boeing aircraft that Alaska Airlines was using is a newer version of the 737 than the one that Blinken was set to fly on.

(With inputs from agencies)