Know why SPAR19 became the most tracked flight of all time

SPAR19, a US Air Force C-40 is a VIP transport aircraft often used to carry members of the Cabinet and Congress. 

Designed to be an "office in the sky" for senior military and government leaders, the C-40 Clipper is a militarized version of the Boeing 737-300 commercial airliner.

First deployed in 2003, the Clipper is equipped with a crew rest area, distinguished visitor compartment with sleep accommodations, two galleys and business class seating with worktables. Typical passengers include members of the presidential cabinet, legislators and combatant commanders. Unique to the C-40C is the capability to change its configuration to accommodate from 42 to 111 passengers.

It was the most tracked flight on Flightradar24 among active flights from the moment it took off from Kuala Lumpur at 15:42 local time.

SPAR19 had been tracked by more than 708,000 individuals around the world by the time it landed in Taipei, making it the most tracked live flight in Flightradar24 history. Over the seven-hour journey from Kuala Lumpur to Taipei, 2.92 million individuals watched at least a portion of the flight.

Some media outlets indicated that the Speaker of the US House of Representatives, Nacy Pelosi was onboard traveling to Taiwan. Earlier it was not confirmed, but a video from Reuters in Taipei confirmed that Pelosi was onboard the aircraft. 

More than 200,000 people tracked the plane as it flew through Indonesia, and the number grew as the plane approached Taiwan. When the plane touched down in Taipei, 708,000 people were watching it.

Our employees immediately began working to keep our services stable. Unfortunately, due to the high volume of users, we had to implement our waiting room service, which limits non-subscribers' access to Flightradar24. Normal access for all users was promptly restored shortly after SPAR19 arrived. We are constantly improving our processes in order to provide more capacity for high-interest trips, Flightradar24 reported.

Nancy Pelosi's rumored trip to Taiwan has riled Beijing, which sees the trip as a violation of the country's long-held 'One China' policy. China considers Taiwan to be its own, whereas the island's rulers maintain autonomy.