Spanish PM Pedro Sánchez’s plane makes emergency landing in Turkey due to a technical snag

A plane carrying Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez made an emergency landing in Turkey on Sunday evening. The emergency landing took place after the aircraft faced technical problems, the government in Madrid said, confirming media reports.

The Spanish government noted that Sanchez was on his way to neighbouring Armenia for a meeting of the European Political Community (EPC) when the incident happened.

“The Spanish delegation will spend the night in Ankara before resuming their journey to Armenia in the morning,” said a statement from the Spanish government.

The statement did not give any details about the nature of the technical problem. It is pertinent to note that European leaders are gathering in the Armenian capital, Yerevan, for the EPC meeting, which starts on May 4.

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While the Spanish authorities described the malfunction as "minor", they maintained that all protocol and procedures had to be followed. With this, Sanchez is expected to spend the night in Ankara and continue to Yerevan early in the morning.

Interestingly, the Spanish prime minister previously missed a meeting on Ukraine held in Paris on September 4, 2025, due to an aircraft malfunction.

At that time, the Falcon-type aircraft, carrying the Spanish premier, turned back to Madrid mid-flight due to a technical fault. Sanchez eventually had to attend the meeting virtually.

With inputs from AFP.