Spanish premier’s plane makes emergency landing in Türkiye due to technical fault

The plane carrying Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez made an emergency landing in Ankara due to a technical issue while en route from Madrid to Yerevan for a European Political Community meeting, Spain’s official news agency EFE reported on Sunday.

The EFE, citing prime ministerial sources, said the official Airbus A310 aircraft carrying Sanchez to Armenia was forced to land in Ankara after experiencing a technical problem.

The malfunction was described as minor, but protocol procedures were followed. Sanchez is expected to spend the night in Ankara and continue to Yerevan early in the morning.

Sanchez previously missed a meeting on Ukraine held in Paris on Sept. 4, 2025, due to an aircraft malfunction.

On that occasion, the Falcon-type aircraft turned back to Madrid mid-flight due to a technical fault, and Sanchez attended the meeting virtually.