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Engine failure in Tenerife
Pope Leo XIV’s return flight from the Canary Islands to Rome was grounded after a technical problem with the aircraft, with the papal plane unable to depart from Tenerife before the pope was taken off the Iberia flight.
“Pope Leo was forced to disembark his plane in Spain and will return to Rome aboard the King of Spain's plane, according to the Vatican press office, after experiencing technical issues with the commercial flight he was expected to take on Friday”
OSV News reported that after passengers had been seated for more than an hour and a half, the captain announced there had been “an incident with one of the aircraft systems,” and King Felipe VI boarded the aircraft himself.
The Vatican News statement said the flight was scheduled to depart at around 6:00 p.m. local time and expected to arrive in Rome at approximately 11:00 p.m., after the IBERIA plane set to fly the pope back to Rome could not depart.
Vatican News added that the departure was delayed due to a technical problem with the engine of the Iberia Airbus A320, and that the aircraft began its takeoff procedures at around 4:15 p.m. local time before the boarding stairs were brought back and Pope Leo was escorted to the airport’s VIP lounge by King Felipe VI.
King Felipe’s Falcon jet
After the engine startup failure prevented the Iberia flight from taking off, Pope Leo left the Canary Islands for Rome on a Falcon plane offered by Spain’s King Felipe VI, according to Euronews.
Euronews said the flight took off just after 6:00 pm and was expected to arrive in Rome at around 11:00 pm, while Vatican News said Pope Leo would return aboard an aircraft “graciously made available by His Majesty the King of Spain.”
The Washington Post described the moment the king boarded, saying Spain’s King Filipe VI “personally whisked Leo off as journalists in the back gaped,” after the captain announced a system failure on board.
AP, as carried by the Toronto Star, said Felipe escorted Leo to his Falcon on the tarmac at the airport in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, and that Leo and members of his delegation took off more than three hours after he was originally due to leave.
Who traveled and what followed
Vatican News said the Holy See staff and the journalists travelling on the papal flight would return in the coming hours on a separate aircraft provided by IBERIA, after Pope Leo was escorted to the airport’s VIP lounge at Tenerife North Airport (Los Rodeos).
“TENERIFE, Spain (OSV News) — After Pope Leo XIV’s flight from the Canary Islands to Rome was grounded due to mechanical failure before take off June 12, Spain’s King Felipe VI offered the pope a ride home to Rome on the king’s private jet”
It also said the Farewell Ceremony had taken place as per schedule, with Pope Leo arriving at the airport at around 3:45 p.m. local time and being greeted by King Felipe VI of Spain, local authorities, and representatives of the local Church.
OSV News reported that all passengers, including cardinals, Vatican security personnel and approximately 80 journalists, were asked to disembark after the technical issue, and that Pope Leo and King Felipe walked together across the tarmac where the king’s private Falcon jet was waiting.
Euronews said about 80 journalists remained on the jet, along with Vatican officials and members of the clergy, after the departure was delayed earlier on Friday by a technical problem with the plane.
