Pope Leo’s plane grounded in Spain after technical issue

Pope Leo XIV’s return trip to Rome was delayed on Friday after the aircraft scheduled to fly him home developed a technical fault in Spain, forcing him to switch planes.

The pope had been due to depart the Canary Islands at the end of a weeklong visit to Spain when the problem affected the Iberia charter assigned to transport him back to the Vatican.

Spain’s King Felipe VI stepped in by offering his private Falcon jet to the pontiff. The king personally accompanied Leo to the aircraft on the tarmac at Santa Cruz de Tenerife airport before the pope and members of his delegation boarded and departed. The flight eventually left more than three hours behind schedule.

The incident brought an unexpected conclusion to a trip that had otherwise gone smoothly. During the visit, Leo continued to advocate for migrants and presided over the inauguration of the new tower of the Sagrada Familia basilica.

According to the Iberia pilot, the aircraft’s engine failed to start after the pope had already boarded. Attempts to resolve the issue were unsuccessful, leading to all passengers being asked to leave the plane. Iberia later said it had dispatched another aircraft from Madrid to transport Vatican officials and journalists who were unable to travel with the pope aboard the Falcon jet.

The disruption marked the first time in decades that a papal flight encountered a problem serious enough to require a pope to transfer to another aircraft.

Veteran Vatican correspondents recalled similar aviation-related incidents during the papacy of St. John Paul II. In 1986, while returning from India, his aircraft was diverted to Naples because severe weather prevented it from landing in Rome. The pope and other passengers later completed the journey by train.

Two years later, poor weather forced John Paul’s aircraft to land in South Africa while travelling to Lesotho. At the time, South Africa had been excluded from the pope’s African itinerary because of apartheid, and he later continued the trip by road.

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Under normal arrangements for papal journeys, Italy’s national carrier, ITA Airways, transports the pope to his destination, while the national airline of the host country operates the return flight. In some cases, ITA handles both legs of the journey, particularly on long-distance routes or when local carriers lack the required capacity.

These chartered flights usually reserve the front section of the aircraft for the pope, Vatican officials and security personnel, while around 70 journalists travel in economy class.

Earlier in the trip, Iberia released footage showing Leo seated in the cockpit and smiling as he travelled between Madrid, Barcelona and the Canary Islands. Spanish military aircraft escorted the flights as a mark of respect for the visiting pontiff, and one video clip showed Leo waving to one of the accompanying pilots.

(AP)