MOSCOW: An aircraft with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on board has experienced a technical malfunction while flying from the capital to the southwest of the country, forcing the aircraft to return to the base in Madrid, reported Sputnik.

According to the Europa Press news agency on Wednesday, citing a Spanish government source, Sanchez was traveling aboard the Falcon aircraft to southern Spain to spend a few days of vacation with his family, presumably at Donana National Park, during the Easter holiday.

The aircraft experienced a technical malfunction mid-air that forced the plane to turn around and return to the Torrejon air base in the Community of Madrid, the government source confirmed to the media.

The source added that when the malfunction occurred, the aircrew activated a planned protocol in case of a technical incident, which was “not of great importance,“ and decided to return to the base. Another plane was waiting for the prime minister at the Torrejon air base to resume his journey, the report said. -Bernama