Pope Leo XIV’s aircraft was unable to leave Tenerife — prompting Spain’s King Felipe VI to offer the pontiff his own plane for the journey to Rome
Pope Leo XIV’s visit to Spain had not been without incident, although most of the surprises had been overwhelmingly positive. As he settled into his seat aboard an Iberia aircraft on Friday, he must surely have believed that the unexpected moments were finally behind him.
After a momentous journey marked by vast crowds, historic ceremonies and several remarkable encounters, only the final leg remained: the flight home to Rome.
The Pope, his bishops, Vatican officials and around 80 travelling journalists were on board at Tenerife Norte–Ciudad de La Laguna Airport, preparing to leave the Canary Islands. Everything appeared ready for departure.
Then the captain made an announcement that took the pontiff, his entourage and the press corps completely by surprise.
A technical problem had been discovered. The aircraft could not take off.
Moments later, Pope Leo and members of his entourage began leaving the plane. Spain’s King Felipe VI accompanied the pontiff across the tarmac as officials dealt with an extraordinary disruption to the final stage of the papal visit.
For the journalists who had followed Pope Leo throughout his June 6–12 tour, the announcement triggered confusion and an immediate scramble for information.
Reporters travelling with the Pope sit at the rear of the aircraft, while the pontiff, cardinals, bishops and senior Vatican officials occupy the front. Journalists pay business-class fares for economy seats, but the arrangement provides rare access. They normally meet the Pope during the outward journey and question him at an in-flight press conference on the return.
There are distinctive touches aboard papal flights. Special menus bear the Pope’s coat of arms, which also appears on the headrests, while the food is generally considered considerably better than that served on a standard commercial service.
Papal aircraft have experienced technical problems before, but for a plane carrying the Pope to be declared unable to depart is highly unusual. Airlines regard transporting the pontiff as a major honour, and the carefully planned journeys normally proceed with extraordinary precision.
Eventually, those on board were instructed to disembark. Then came the remarkable news: King Felipe had offered Pope Leo the use of his private aircraft for the journey back to Rome.
The Pope was seen crossing the tarmac towards the replacement plane, enabling him to continue his journey while the journalists who had accompanied him remained in Tenerife awaiting alternative transport.
The royal intervention brought a dramatic conclusion to a visit already filled with historic moments.
Pope Leo XIV, the first American pontiff and a fluent Spanish speaker, attracted enormous crowds across Spain. Around 1.2 million people were reported to have attended a Mass and procession in Madrid.
He also became the first Pope to address the Spanish Parliament, receiving a seven-minute standing ovation from representatives across the country’s intensely divided political spectrum.
The scale of the public response appeared to surprise even Leo. On the flight to Spain, he joked that he was competing for attention with Puerto Rican music star Bad Bunny, who was performing in Madrid on the night of the papal arrival.
After considerable speculation, the Vatican confirmed that the pair held a brief private meeting, although no photographs were released.
The visual high point of the visit came at Barcelona’s Sagrada Família. One hundred years after the death of Antoni Gaudí, the visionary architect behind the basilica, Pope Leo celebrated Mass inside the landmark and blessed the Tower of Jesus Christ, whose completion makes it the world’s tallest church.
Choristers performed as coloured light filled the basilica. Fireworks illuminated the building, while a drone display formed Gaudí’s face in the night sky.
Alongside the vast public ceremonies, Leo also devoted time to quieter encounters carrying significant social and pastoral weight.
At the Las Raíces migrant centre in Tenerife, he met people who had risked their lives crossing from West Africa to Europe in small boats. The Canary Islands remain one of the principal entry points for migrants attempting to reach European territory.
The Pope condemned those trafficking vulnerable people, urging them to stop and repent and warning that they would face divine justice. He also met survivors of clerical abuse privately and called on Spain’s bishops to listen to victims and provide reparations.
Throughout the journey, Leo appeared unusually relaxed. He spoke without prepared notes, recalled playing football and American football in his youth, and revealed that he still plays tennis and exercises regularly.
During the flight from Madrid to Barcelona, he entered the cockpit, spoke with the pilots over the aircraft radio and waved towards a military escort plane.
The King’s intervention ensured that Leo reached Rome, but it also meant the customary end-of-trip press conference did not take place.
Instead, the visit ended with the striking image of the Pope walking across the Tenerife tarmac to board the Spanish monarch’s aircraft.
When the papal plane could go no further, the King of Spain came to the rescue.
