Pope's Royal Lift.
Pope Leo XIV's Rome Return Delayed in Tenerife; King Felipe VI Offers Plane.
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Pope Leo XIV's departure from the Canary Islands hit a snag on Friday when the Iberia charter flight carrying him back to Rome developed a technical problem shortly after boarding. Associated Press reported that the Pope and King Felipe VI of Spain both disembarked the Airbus A320 at Tenerife North Airport and returned to the terminal while maintenance specialists reviewed the aircraft.
Iberia's press office confirmed a "technical problem" was under review, Associated Press noted. An official announcement cited a 30-minute delay, according to The Straits Times. The incident came at the close of a historic seven-day apostolic journey — the first time a pope has ever visited the Canary Islands.
King Felipe VI Escorts Pope Back to Terminal
In an unusual breach of royal protocol, King Felipe VI had come to the airport to formally say farewell to the Pope. When the technical fault emerged, the King re-boarded the plane alongside Pope Leo XIV before both men walked back into the terminal together, Al Arabiya reported. The Vatican Gendarmerie and Iberia crew took a conservative approach to safety by pulling everyone off the aircraft.
The delay disrupted the schedules of the 82 accredited journalists traveling in the papal delegation on the charter, according to The Straits Times. Pope Leo XIV remained calm throughout, waiting in the terminal while technicians worked on the plane.
Pope Issued Stark Warnings to Human Traffickers Hours Earlier
The flight trouble capped an emotionally charged final day. Earlier on Friday, the Pope met with migrants at the "Las Raíces" center in San Cristóbal de La Laguna, Tenerife, and celebrated an open-air Mass at the Port of Santa Cruz, according to The Holy See. He spoke directly to human traffickers, saying: "For every life lost... you will have to appear before divine justice. Stop. Repent," per Catholic World Report.
On Thursday, the Pope had visited the Port of Arguineguín in Gran Canaria — known as the "Dock of Shame" — to pray for migrants lost at sea. Some 1,317 migrants died or went missing sailing toward Spain in just the first five months of 2026, according to Walking Borders, a human rights group. The Pope called the Atlantic a potential "cemetery without headstones."
A Historic First Visit to the Canary Islands
No pope had ever set foot in the Canary Islands before this trip. Pope Leo XIV arrived in Gran Canaria on June 11, and moved to Tenerife on the final day of his seven-day Spain tour, AP News reported. The visit was designed to put a spotlight on the "Atlantic Route" — a deadly migration corridor between West Africa and the Spanish islands.
Hundreds of thousands of people attended the public Masses across Spain during the journey, which began in Madrid on June 6 and moved through Barcelona — where the Pope inaugurated the Tower of Jesus Christ at the Sagrada Família on June 10 — before ending in the Canary Islands, per AP News. Ecclesiastical analysts noted that Leo XIV's tone in the Canary Islands was significantly more forceful than during the earlier stops, signaling a harder stance against organized crime, according to Catholic World Report.
Iberia Has Flown Every Papal Visit to Spain Since 1982
Iberia has served as the charter operator for every papal visit to Spain since St. John Paul II's 1982 tour, according to the Iberia Press Office. The aircraft on this leg was an Airbus A320. Captain Pablo Martínez Núñez, a 26-year Iberia veteran who piloted an earlier leg of the trip, described flying the Pope as the "most special flight" of his life, per National Catholic Reporter.
Once the plane was cleared and the technical issue resolved, Pope Leo XIV and his delegation were expected to reboard for Rome. The Pope represents roughly 1.4 billion Catholics worldwide, according to eNCA.
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