Pope Leo XIV’s scheduled flight from Tenerife Airport to Rome was delayed on June 12 after the plane’s engine failed to start, preventing takeoff from the Canary Islands [1, 2, 3, 4]. The issue occurred after the Pope had boarded the Iberia plane. The Iberia captain said, "the engine had probably been unable to start because of the wind. The plane would be towed so it faced the wind and they would try starting the engine again" [2].
After the engine problem, Pope Leo XIV, Spain’s King Felipe VI, and other passengers disembarked and returned to the terminal [1, 2, 3]. King Felipe VI then offered the Pope the use of his private military Falcon jet for the return flight to Rome [3, 4]. About three hours after the original departure time, the Pope and members of his delegation took off on the King’s Falcon jet and successfully returned to Rome [3, 4].
Journalists and Vatican officials originally on the Iberia plane boarded a replacement Iberia aircraft sent from Madrid to complete their flight [1, 3, 4].
Pope Leo XIV had just completed a seven-day visit to Spain focused on migration issues. On June 12, earlier in Tenerife, he celebrated a mass attended by about 40,000 people [1, 4]. During his visit, he also met with various dignitaries and victims of clergy abuse [1, 4]. At the mass, the Pope condemned human trafficking, saying, "Stop and repent, people traffickers should be condemned" [4].
The delay and subsequent return to Rome on the King’s jet marked an unexpected end to the Pope’s Spain trip. The next scheduled event for the Pope has not yet been announced.
