The Pontiff ultimately traveled on a Falcon jet from the Air Force, provided by the King, after the initially planned aircraft could not take off from Tenerife North Airport. Upon arrival at Fiumicino, before heading to the Vatican, Leo XIV thanked the Falcon crew for their intervention, describing it as a rescue.
The issue was detected shortly after the official farewell between the Pope and the King at the Tenerife airport. It was Felipe VI himself who noticed that one of the Iberia plane's engines had not ignited, leading to the confirmation of the fault and their return to the terminal.
Initially, Pope Leo XIV declined the King's offer to use the Falcon, preferring to wait for a potential technical resolution. However, as the fault could not be fixed, the change of plans was decided. The King, in turn, had to wait in Tenerife for another aircraft to arrive before he could return to Madrid.
The accumulated delay exceeded three hours, affecting not only the Pontiff but also his entourage, including approximately 80 journalists who had to wait for another Iberia flight.
