King Felipe VI Helps Pope Leo XIV After Flight Delay.
Pope Leo XIV faced an unexpected delay on his flight from Tenerife to Rome after a technical issue grounded his charter plane.
SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE, Spain — Even popes face travel delays. Fortunately for Pope Leo XIV, King Felipe VI offered a way out and a way home.
In a handout photo provided by Vatican Media via The Associated Press, 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, on Friday, June 12, 2026.
Felipe escorted Leo to his Falcon on the tarmac at the airport in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, in the Canary Islands. The Iberia pilot said the engine had failed to start after Leo had boarded.
Iberia said it was sending another plane from Madrid to collect the Vatican officials and journalists who were not with Leo on the Falcon. The glitch marked an unusual end to an otherwise successful trip to Madrid, Barcelona and the Canary Islands.
During the trip, Leo pressed his message on migration and also inaugurated the new tower of the Sagrada Familia basilica.