Pope Leo XIV's Charter Flight Grounded in Canary Islands, King Offers Jet

Pope Leo XIV's Iberia charter flight was grounded Friday at Tenerife Norte-Los Rodeos International Airport after the engine failed to start following boarding. The pope and members of the Vatican delegation disembarked while crews attempted repairs. When initial efforts failed, Spain's king offered his private jet as an alternative.

VI escorted the pope across the tarmac to the waiting Falcon aircraft. Leo and his immediate party boarded and departed more than three hours after the original scheduled takeoff. Iberia stated it would send a replacement plane from Madrid to transport remaining Vatican officials and journalists who did not travel on the king's jet.

The technical issue ended a weeklong visit that included stops in Madrid, Barcelona, and the Canary Islands. During the trip the pope delivered remarks on migration and inaugurated the new tower of the Sagrada Familia basilica. The Canary Islands lie closer to Africa than to the Iberian Peninsula.

The episode marked the first time in decades that a papal flight required the pope to change planes due to a mechanical problem. >"Even popes have travel delays. " — The Associated Press, June 13, 2026 Veteran Vatican reporters recalled earlier papal flights that encountered weather-related diversions, though none required an in-flight plane change of this nature.

Iberia had earlier released video of the pope seated in the cockpit during segments of the trip, with Spanish military aircraft providing an airborne escort on those legs.