Pope Leo’s plane was grounded. Then the King of Spain stepped in to help.
Papal aircraft have had technical problems in the past, but for a plane carrying the pope to be unable to take off is unheard of. It’s seen as an honour for local carriers to fly the pope, and whether it’s Aereo Dili in East Timor or Emirates in the UAE the flights normally progress seamlessly. So when the captain on Iberia made his announcement, it sparked chaos among the travelling press corps.
Quickly news then filtered through that the pope had been offered the King of Spain’s private plane to fly back to Rome. Pope Leo walked across the tarmac to get on board and reporters stayed back waiting for another plane to fly them to Rome.
This provided somewhat of a chaotic end to what had been an historic visit to Spain by Pope Leo. The first American pope, who is a fluent Spanish speaker, drew huge crowds in Madrid, including around 1.2 million for a Mass and procession. He became the first pontiff to address Spain’s parliament receiving a seven-minute standing ovation from across representatives of the country’s intensely polarized political spectrum.