The film begins with a joint special operations mission composed of Russian Spetsnaz and American Delta Force operatives to capture General Ivan Radek, the dictator of a "terrorist regime" in the former Soviet republic of Kazakhstan.Three weeks later, James Marshall (Harrison Ford), the President of the United States, gives a speech at a state dinner in Moscow, telling the world that the United States will no longer negotiate with terrorists or fail to intervene in dictatorial regimes (a subplot that seems to reference the Bosnian and Kosovo Wars). Afterwards, Marshall, much of his Cabinet and his advisers board Air Force One to return to the U.S. Just before takeoff, they are joined by Marshall's family, First Lady Grace and First Daughter Alice.Meanwhile, six Radek loyalists and Soviet ultra-nationalists, led by Egor Korshunov and posing as a Russian news crew, have boarded the plane and shortly after take-off are able to hijack the plane and kill several people with help from Gibbs, a mole in the Secret Service. Agents hustle a reluctant Marshall to the escape pod before Korshunov's men can capture him. In the cockpit, the pilots attempt to make an emergency landing at Ramstein Air Base, Germany. However, the hijackers breach the cockpit, shoot the pilots, and set course for Kazakhstan. In the meantime the security service manage to get the President to the emergency escape pod & the pod is shown to successfully disengage from the aircraft, & parachute over German TerritoryKorshunov gathers the remaining passengers into the conference room and contacts the White House Situation Room, where he speaks to Vice President Kathryn Bennett. He demands that they arrange for Radek's release in exchange for the President's family. Until their demands to release Radek are met, the terrorists threaten to execute hostages every half hour. National Security Advisor Jack Doherty is the first to be executed, and Grace and Alice are taken up to the cockpit as separate hostages.Marshall's escape pod is discovered to be empty; he is actually still on board. It was also revealed that Marshall was a Vietnam Veteran, and a Medal of Honor recipient. After Marshall kills two of Korshunov's men, Korshunov responds by murdering Press Secretary Melanie Mitchell in front of Marshall's terrified family and over the intercom. Hiding from Korshunov in the avionics bay, Marshall is able to initiate a dump of Air Force One's fuel reserve. This forces Korshunov to demand a mid-air refueling, which requires the plane to come down to 12000 feet at which hostages can parachute out of the cargo bay of the aircraft Marshall sneaks back into the conference room where the passengers are being held and escorts them to the parachute bay.Most of the hostages escape via parachute, until they are discovered by one of Korshunov's men. The resulting chaos caused depressurization of the parachute bay, and several people are sucked out of the plane without parachutes, meeting their deaths. It also disrupts the refueling process, setting the refueling plane's fuel reserve on fire and causing it to explode in midair.Korshunov takes Marshall hostage, as well as Major Caldwell, Gibbs and Chief of Staff Lloyd Shepherd and threatens to kill Alice unless he agrees to call Russian President Petrov and demand Radek's release. As Radek prepares to leave prison, Marshall breaks free and kills the last two of Korshunov's men. Korshunov drags Grace down to the cargo bay, where he throws all the remaining parachutes overboard, except for the one he is wearing. In the ensuing fight, Marshall wraps a cord around Korshunov's neck, says "Get off my plane!", and opens the parachute, which breaks Korshunov's neck, and his dead body floats away off the plane. With all of the hijackers dead and regaining control of the plane, Marshall halts the release of Radek, who is fatally shot as he tries to escape.Marshall takes control of the plane's controls, turning it toward the nearest airbase. Back at the White House, Bennett discovers six Kazakh MiG-29s fighter planes piloted by Radek loyalists in pursuit and warns Marshall. A squadron of F-15s arrive and fight off the MiGs, with one pilot sacrificing himself to stop a missile from hitting the plane, but in the ensuing explosion, Air Force One is left so badly damaged, it is unable to land safely and is leaking fuel.An Air Force Pararescue MC-130 Hercules plane is hastily tasked to zip-line Marshall and the remaining passengers from the plane before it hits the water. Marshall insists that his family be rescued first, as well as a wounded Shepherd. The last engine fails and when the final rescuer states he can only evacuate one more, Gibbs pulls a gun and kills both the rescuer and Caldwell, revealing his true identity. Marshall is able to subdue Gibbs before the steel cable detaches from the plane with the President secured. Air Force One finally crashes head-on into the Caspian Sea, breaking in half and kills Gibbs. The country celebrates as the President is winched to safety, and Marshall embraces his family and salutes the crew of the Hercules, who change their call sign to Air Force One.