Pope Leo XIV's flight home from Spain was grounded so the king came to his aid

In this handout photo provided by Vatican Media, Pope Leo XIV is accompanied by King Felipe VI of Spain as he deplanes after a technical problem at Tenerife Norte-Los Rodeos International Airport in Tenerife, Spain, Friday, June 12, 2026. Vatican Media via AP hide caption

SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE, Spain — Even popes have travel delays. Lucky for Pope Leo XIV, King Felipe VI offered a way out, and a way home.

Leo's Iberia charter, due to take him back to Rome after a weeklong visit to Spain, was grounded by a technical problem Friday, prompting Spain's king to offer his private jet instead.

Felipe escorted Leo to his Falcon on the tarmac at the airport in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, in the Canary Islands. Leo and members of his delegation boarded the plane and took off, more than three hours after he was originally due to leave.

The glitch marked an unusual end to an otherwise successful trip to Madrid, Barcelona and the Canary Islands. Leo pressed his migration message and also inaugurated the new tower of the Sagrada Familia basilica.

The Iberia pilot said the engine had failed to start after Leo had boarded. Initial efforts to fix it failed, forcing all passengers to disembark. Iberia said it was sending another plane from Madrid to fetch the Vatican officials and journalists who were not with Leo on the Falcon. The Spanish archipelago is closer to Africa than the Iberian Peninsula.

It was the first time in decades that a papal flight had experienced a problem so serious that it required the pope to change planes.

Journalists attend into the papal flight after takeoff was delayed at Los Rodeos International Airport, at the Canary Islands, Spain, Friday, June 12, 2026. Alessandra Tarantino/AP hide caption