Pope Departs the Canaries on a Falcon After Iberia Plane Malfunction. The Pope’s departure from Tenerife was disrupted by a technical issue with the Iberia aircraft. A Spanish Air Force Falcon, provided by the King, was used to return him to Rome. Authorities sent an additional plane for Felipe VI.
On Friday evening, Pope Leon XIV’s return from Tenerife to Rome was jeopardized due to a technical malfunction on the Iberia plane scheduled for the flight. As a result, by order of the authorities, a Falcon aircraft from the Spanish Air Force’s Grupo 45, stationed in the Canary Islands, was provided for the Pope. The aircraft, allocated by royal decree, took off at 18:09 local time and is expected to arrive in Rome around 23:00 Roman time.
Accompanying the Pope on board the Falcon are about 15 people—his closest aides and senior representatives of the Holy See who accompanied the pontiff during his visit to Madrid, Barcelona, Gran Canaria, and Tenerife. The remaining members of the delegation and journalists who initially traveled with the Pope will have to return to Italy on a separate flight organized by Iberia, as the Falcon's capacity is limited.
According to the Iberia crew, conditions at Tenerife-Norte airport were complicated by strong winds, which often cause emergencies on the runway. Airline representatives emphasize that the plane had undergone scheduled maintenance and was found to have no faults, but the weather that day was particularly challenging. Even before the Pope boarded, the wind repeatedly blew away the carpet from the boarding stairs, and clergy hats were scattered across the tarmac.
To facilitate King Felipe VI's return to the mainland, the Air Force will send an additional plane to the Canary Islands. Overall, the incident did not impact safety, but required urgent adjustments to logistics and protocol services. As noted in the Vatican, the pilots of Grupo 45 were prepared for any scenario and ensured the Pope's safe flight.
Such irregular situations have occurred before during foreign trips of pontiffs. For example, in 1990, John Paul II made an emergency landing in Malta due to technical problems, and in 1991, upon landing in Lisbon, there was an engine fire onboard an Alitalia flight, which the crew successfully extinguished. There have also been instances when weather conditions forced route changes, as happened in 1986 during the return from India. It is important to note that such incidents are not uncommon in complex airports, especially in strong winds.
In recent years, the issues of safety and technical readiness of aircraft transporting heads of state and religious leaders have remained in the spotlight. In Spain, such situations require rapid coordination between the military, civilian services, and protocol. Notably, there is always great public interest in the transport and organizational aspects of major events—for instance, russpain.com recently provided detailed coverage of unexpected personnel decisions and records at the start of the 2026 World Cup, which also relate to logistics and safety. in coverage of major international events. In the case of the Pope’s visit, despite the emergency situation, all services acted in a coordinated manner, ensuring that the main delegation’s itinerary continued without delays.
For reference: the Falcon 900, used for transporting high-ranking officials in Spain, is designed for a limited number of passengers and is often employed in situations that require an urgent replacement of the main aircraft. Tenerife-Norte Airport is known for its challenging weather conditions, which require flight crews to be especially attentive and prepared for emergencies.
