On June 12, 2026, Pope Leo XIV’s chartered Iberia Airlines (IB) flight failed to depart from Tenerife Norte-Ciudad de La Laguna Airport (TFN) due to an engine malfunction. King Felipe VI of Spain, who was present at the farewell ceremony, personally escorted the Pope off the aircraft and offered his government Dassault Falcon 900B to fly the pontiff to Rome.
The incident occurred on flight IB1477, operated by an Airbus A320-200 registered EC-MDK, which was scheduled to depart at 15:20 local time. The Iberia pilot announced that strong headwinds had caused an engine failure, ncronline.org reported. After repositioning the aircraft to face the wind and attempting a restart, ground staff brought back the boarding stairs and all passengers disembarked. This was the first time in decades that a papal flight experienced a problem so serious that it required the Pope to change planes.
The Engine Failure That Grounded Flight IB1477
Flight IB1477 was scheduled to depart at 15:20 local time. The Iberia pilot announced that strong headwinds had caused an engine failure. After the plane changed position and again attempted to start the engine, staff announced that everyone onboard would need to disembark.
After the problem was detected, the aircraft’s boarding stairs were repositioned and the Pope was escorted back to the airport’s VIP lounge by King Felipe VI, who had just completed the official farewell ceremony. Senior Vatican officials, including Cardinal Pietro Parolin, also disembarked from the aircraft.
The departure was delayed for a considerable time due to a technical problem with the engine of the Iberia Airbus A320. The aircraft began its takeoff procedures at around 4:15 p.m. local time.
King Felipe VI Offered the Royal Falcon to the Pope
Leo, meanwhile, escorted by the king, crossed the tarmac to a Falcon jet with “Kingdom of Spain” printed along the side in Spanish. The jet, originally intended to take Felipe back to Madrid, instead carried the pope and members of his entourage to Rome.
Felipe escorted Leo to his Falcon on the tarmac at the airport in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, in the Canary Islands. Leo and members of his delegation boarded the plane and took off, more than three hours after he was originally due to leave.
Vatican News confirmed that the Falcon departed Tenerife shortly after 18:00 local time. It was expected to arrive in Rome at approximately 23:00 local time.
Vatican officials described the king’s gesture as “a gesture of friendship and solidarity.”
According to CNN, the Falcon 900B that carried Pope Leo XIV departed Tenerife Norte-Ciudad de La Laguna Airport on June 12, 2026, with clergy members waving from the tarmac as it took off. Iberia said it was sending another plane from Madrid to fetch the Vatican officials and journalists who were not with Leo on the Falcon.
The Airbus A320 EC-MDK: The Aircraft at the Centre of the Incident
The aircraft that failed to depart was an Airbus A320-214(SL) registered EC-MDK, with manufacturer serial number 6328. According to Plane Finder, the aircraft is approximately 11 years old and is operated by Iberia.
This is not the first time EC-MDK has appeared in safety reports. AeroInside records show that an Iberia Airbus A320-200 with the registration EC-MDK, operating as flight IB-694 from Catania (CTA), Italy to Madrid Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas Airport (MAD), Spain, was previously the subject of a published safety incident report in November 2025. The details of that incident remain behind a subscription paywall.
The Airbus A320 is a narrow-body, single-aisle aircraft and one of the most widely operated commercial jets in the world. It is typically powered by either CFM International CFM56 or IAE V2500 engines.
Iberia’s Role in the Papal Visit and Its Response to the Breakdown
Iberia served as the official carrier for Pope Leo XIV’s domestic and international legs during his apostolic journey to Spain. Iberia had proudly provided video earlier in the trip of Leo seated in the cockpit, smiling broadly as the plane carried him from Madrid to Barcelona, and then Barcelona to the Canary Islands. In both cases, Spanish military aircraft provided an airborne escort, a sign of respect for visiting dignitaries, and in one clip of the video Leo is seen waving to the escorting pilot.
The airline’s involvement in the papal trip was therefore a matter of national pride. The engine failure on IB1477 came as an embarrassment. An Iberia spokesperson confirmed that the technical problem could not be resolved immediately. Iberia said it was sending another plane from Madrid to fetch the Vatican officials and journalists who were not with Leo on the Falcon.
As for the journalists stranded in Tenerife, Iberia sent another plane from Madrid to take them back to Rome, where they arrived in the early hours of Saturday morning.
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