Delay in Papal Return Due to Aircraft Malfunction
The entourage of Pope Leon XIV and the accompanying journalists must await another aircraft, which will be dispatched from Madrid in the coming hours.
In a last-minute decision late on Friday afternoon, the Pope accepted an offer from the King of Spain to return to Rome on a Falcon jet from the Spanish Air Force, after the aircraft scheduled for his flight back to the Vatican suffered a malfunction.
The King will now have to wait for another Air Force plane to fly him back to the Spanish capital.
Aircraft Malfunction
A difficult-to-fix issue with an engine on the Iberia plane, which was supposed to take Pope Leon XIV and his entourage from Tenerife to Rome, led to this incident. It resulted in the Pope and his entire retinue disembarking just as the plane was set to take off. Iberia has announced that it will be sending a replacement aircraft from Madrid.
What initially seemed to be a minor issue that would only require the Pope to leave the aircraft became more complicated as time went on. Eventually, the entire passenger list, including the papal entourage and journalists, was disembarked and taken to the terminal building at Los Rodeos (Tenerife-Norte), awaiting the arrival of a new aircraft from Madrid, which may take at least three hours.
Royal Response
Upon being informed of the situation, King Felipe VI returned immediately to the aircraft steps and welcomed the Pope, who descended with a cheerful demeanour, discussing the incident with the Spanish head of state.
Television Española journalist Begoña Alegría, who was present with other reporters on the plane, reported live on the 24 Horas channel that the commander had informed them of “an incident” and that technicians were working to resolve it.
The doors were already closed when the journalists accompanying the Pope saw the King returning to the aircraft.
At 16:50, ground services removed the access stairs from the aircraft, which had already closed its door. A towing crane began moving the plane to another area of Tenerife North airport. Subsequently, announcements informed passengers that the aircraft had been repositioned against the wind to try to start the engine that had failed to ignite. However, all attempts were unsuccessful.
By 17:15, Iberia staff confirmed that the aircraft had sustained a technical problem that could not be resolved immediately, prompting the company to send a new plane from Madrid for the return trip on Friday.
The captain announced via intercom: “Prepare for disembarkation because the aircraft cannot fly.”
Papal Departure
At 18:10, the Pope left Tenerife aboard the Spanish Air Force Falcon en route to the Vatican.
The aircraft, an Airbus A-320 from Iberia, was the same model that transported him from Madrid to Barcelona, then from Barcelona to Gran Canaria, and finally from Gran Canaria to Tenerife. It remains to be seen which aircraft will be designated for the journey to Rome.
According to news agency EFE, the replacement Iberia aircraft to transport the remaining passengers in the Vatican delegation has already taken off from Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas Airport and is expected to land at Tenerife North at 20:40 local time.
Iberia has explained that the aircraft will shortly thereafter take the personnel from the Holy See and the journalists who were supposed to fly back with the Pope to the Italian capital.
