Pope returns to Rome on plane offered by Spanish king after technical glitch, Vatican says

Pope Leo XIV left the Canary Islands for Rome on Friday in a Falcon plane offered by Spanish King Felipe VI after his original aircraft suffered a technical glitch, according to reporters at the scene.

The flight took off just after 6:00 pm and is expected to arrive in Rome at around 11:00 pm. The pope wrapped up a week-long visit to Spain on Friday.

The pontiff’s departure from Tenerife was delayed earlier on Friday by a technical problem with the plane which led him to disembark, according to an AFP reporter at the scene.

Spain's King Felipe VI, who had just said goodbye to the pontiff on the runway, boarded the Iberia airline plane and both disembarked and returned to the terminal.

About 80 journalists remained on the jet, along with Vatican officials and members of the clergy.

"The departure of the papal flight has been delayed by half an hour due to a technical problem with the aircraft," the communications service for the papal trip in Spain said in a brief statement.

The pilot initially told passengers there was a technical fault but later specified a "startup failure of the engine," which he said was likely caused by wind conditions.

"Our maintenance team suggests towing the aircraft, positioning it into the wind, and attempting a new engine start," the pilot told those on board.

"We will try this. If it is successful, we can depart."

The glitch marked an unusual end to an otherwise successful trip to Madrid, Barcelona and the Canary Islands.

Pope Leo XIV pressed his migration message and also inaugurated the new tower of the Sagrada Familia basilica.