The airport operator Aena has reiterated that commercial activity at Tenerife North Airport continues to develop with absolute "normality" despite the incident registered on Pope Leo XIV's flight.
According to sources from Aena to Europa Press, the setback is solely due to a technical failure by the airline on that specific flight: "The airport is operating normally, it's a problem with the plane."
The clarification comes after the Iberia flight that was supposed to take off on Friday afternoon with the Pontiff on board suffered a delay of nearly half an hour due to technical problems.
As detailed by the commander himself to the delegation of journalists remaining on the aircraft, the incident is related to "tailwind," which is why they will attempt to tow the plane to place it in the opposite direction of the runway.
Sources from Iberia consulted by this agency have confirmed that their maintenance teams are already inspecting the aircraft in order to resolve the breakdown as soon as possible.
While the wait continues, Pope Leo XIV and King Felipe VI have disembarked the plane calmly and proceeded to a building adjacent to the terminal. From the organization of the Pontiff's visit to Spain, they emphasize that the expected delay remains around 30 minutes before the return flight to Rome can begin.