A U. S. Air Force plane landed at Lakeland Linder International Airport on May 1, shortly after a bomb threat temporarily closed the facility.
Kris Hallstrand, airport director, confirmed a Boeing 757 with words “United States of America,” touched down in Lakeland and was sitting on airport’s runway around 1:30 p.m.
The aircraft typically serves as Air Force 2, commonly used to transport the Vice President J.D. Vance, First Lady Melania Trump, the secretary of state and other higher-ranking officials of the Trump administration. There was no motorcade accompanying the vehicle or officials seen entering or exiting the plane as of 1:30 p.m.
According to Reuters, President Donald Trump had boarded the real Air Force One about 1 p.m. on his way to Ocala International Airport. He was scheduled to attend an event at The Villages.
Bomb threat temporary closes LAL
Lakeland Linder Airport was briefly ceased all operations around 9:30 a.m. May 1 due to a bomb threat. Hallstrand said a bomb threat was emailed to the airport. The airport terminal was immediately evacuated and all flight operations were temporary halted. Lakeland Police Department responded to the threat. Police officers searched the grounds and the facility was cleared. It was determined there was “no credence” to the email, according to Hallstrand. Normal operations resumed after approximately an hour at 10:30 a.m. The Ledger has reached out to Lakeland Police Department and the City of Lakeland for more information.
This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Is that Air Force Two at Lakeland Linder?
Reporting by Sara-Megan Walsh, Lakeland Ledger / The Ledger
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
