Pope Leo XIV’s departure from Tenerife at the end of a week-long visit to Spain was delayed 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 at 1545 GMT.
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.”
Pope Leo XIV had been due to return to Rome after a seven-day trip to Spain.
He arrived on Friday in Tenerife in Spain’s Canary Islands from the nearby island of Gran Canaria, where he had been since Thursday.
