# Iberia’s Papal Plane Suffers Mechanical Failure, Pope Takes Private Jet

_Jun 13 12:19_

Tags: Iberia, Rome, Spain, airline, industry news

Iberia's designated aircraft for Papal flights experienced a technical issue at Tenerife, forcing Pope Leo XIV to return to Rome on a private plane provided by the King of Spain

## Summary

Iberia, the national airline of Spain, faced an operational embarrassment when its designated Papal plane suffered a mechanical failure at Tenerife’s Los Rodeos airport. Consequently, Pope Leo XIV was unable to depart on the scheduled Iberia flight and instead returned to Rome aboard a private aircraft graciously provided by King Felipe of Spain. The Holy See staff and traveling press returned in the coming hours on a separate aircraft also provided by Iberia. This event underscores specific fleet reliability issues for the IAG-owned carrier

## Why it matters

Affects 2 airline programs (Alitalia, Iberia).

## Sources cited

- [LoyaltyLobby](https://loyaltylobby.com/2026/06/13/iberias-papal-plane-went-mechanical?omhide=true) — Iberia’s Papal Plane Went Mechanical

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