Pope Leo XIV flies home on Spanish king's jet after Iberia plane breaks down in Tenerife
Pope Leo XIV was forced to switch aircraft at Tenerife airport on Friday after an Iberia A320 suffered a technical fault before take-off. King Felipe VI, who had just bid farewell, boarded the plane and offered his own Falcon to fly the pontiff back to Rome.
Unexpected farewell on the tarmac
Pope Leo XIV’s week-long apostolic visit to Spain ended with an unscripted display of royal assistance. The Pope and his delegation were due to depart from Tenerife Norte-Los Rodeos airport at 15:20 local time on an Iberia-operated Airbus A320, already running one hour late after the final events on the island. Once all passengers were aboard, the captain informed the cabin that a technical issue had been detected and that maintenance crews were inspecting the aircraft. Shortly afterward, King Felipe VI, who had only moments earlier said his public farewell, climbed back on board and invited the Pope to disembark while the problem was investigated.
Fermatevi e convertitevi!
The Pope had earlier celebrated an open-air Mass at Tenerife’s port before roughly 35,000 faithful, using the occasion to address people smugglers directly with an appeal to “stop and convert.”
Diagnosis and failed repair
Initial indications pointed to a tail-wind issue that prevented engine start-up. The captain told passengers that the maintenance team had proposed towing the plane into a headwind position for a fresh attempt. “We are going to make this attempt; if it is successful we will be able to begin our flight,” he announced. Despite those efforts, Iberia soon confirmed that the fault could not be repaired immediately. In a statement, the airline said all passengers would be transferred to a replacement aircraft being dispatched from Madrid, while the Pope would travel separately.
- Scheduled departure of Iberia A320 delayed due to late-running papal events
- Captain announces tail-wind technical issue; maintenance team works on engine start
- King Felipe VI boards the plane and escorts Pope Leo XIV to VIP lounge
- Iberia confirms fault cannot be repaired immediately; passengers to be disembarked
- Holy See announces Pope will fly to Rome on King's Falcon, departing ~18:00
- Falcon takes off with Pope aboard, escorted by two fighters
- Expected arrival at Rome Ciampino
The King’s Falcon
Felipe VI offered his own air force Falcon—the jet he had intended to use for his return to Madrid—so that the pontiff could reach Rome without a lengthy wait. Vatican spokesman noted that the Pope’s plane would depart around 18:00 local time, but the Falcon eventually took off at about 19:10, escorted by two Spanish Air and Space Force fighters until it cleared national airspace. The Holy See Press Office confirmed the arrival in Rome was expected around 23:00.
Separate flights for the entourage
The remainder of the papal flight, comprising more than 80 journalists, Vatican staff, and senior prelates including Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin and Foreign Minister Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, were disembarked from the damaged A320. Iberia arranged a replacement aircraft to fly them out later the same evening, after the new plane arrived from Madrid. Spanish ministers Ángel Víctor Torres and Elma Sáiz, together with Canary Islands president Fernando Clavijo, accompanied the King as he walked the Pope across the apron to the waiting Falcon.
