Air Force One was scheduled to stop at Bangor International Airport sometime Friday evening to refuel on its way back from Israel, but apparently those plans changed by late afternoon.

According to information shared by the press pool traveling with President Obama, Air Force One departed Tel Aviv shortly before 2 p.m. Eastern time on Friday and was to refuel in Bangor before continuing on to Washington, D.C.

Bangor International Airport, which used to be an Air Force base, is commonly used by international aircraft to refuel. It also is home to the Maine Air National Guard’s 101st Air Refueling Wing, which services military planes.

The Federal Aviation Administration had issued a warning to keep the airspace around Bangor clear from 6 to 8 p.m. – standard protocol for Air Force One takeoffs and departures – but then rescinded that warning.

Air Force One touched down at Andrews Air Force Base at 6:36 p.m., according to press pool reports, but they didn’t say whether the plane stopped to refuel.

Former President Bill Clinton and Secretary of State John Kerry were among those who accompanied the president, who was in Israel attending the funeral of the country’s former president Shimon Peres, who died Wednesday.


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