Donald Trump is expected to arrive in the UK as his plane is scheduled to refuel at a US airbase. Flight restrictions around RAF Mildenhall in Suffolk indicate the US president’s Air Force One jet will land there late on Monday or early on Tuesday en route to an official visit to the Middle East.
Legislation published by the Government prohibits unauthorised flights in the area between 11pm on Monday and 4am on Tuesday. This is “for reasons of public safety and security during visits by a head of state”, according to a statutory instrument. The same restrictions are in place between 5pm and 10pm on Friday, indicating Air Force One may refuel at RAF Mildenhall again. It took under 26 minutes to refuel Mr Trump’s plane on a stopover at the site during a journey to Vietnam in February 2019 during his first term as president, US officials said.
There are reports that Mr Trump intends to accept a Boeing 747 plane as a gift from the Qatari royal family during his visit to the Middle East.
The plane would be converted to serve as Air Force One.
Mr Trump suggested last month that a date for September is being set for him to meet the King in Britain.
He told reporters in the White House he was “invited by the King and the country”.
Mr Trump was feted with a grand state visit to Britain, hosted by the late Queen Elizabeth II, in June 2019 during his first presidency.
RAF Mildenhall, where the president is set to land, was used by the famous Bomber Command unit during the Second World War as a hub for operational combat missions.
Placed on standby after the war, it was reopened in 1950 and became a joint operation base between the RAF and US Air Force (USAF). Alongside its sister base RAF Lakenheath, which lies around five miles (8km) to its northeast, the Mildenhall base has the largest USAF presence in the UK.
