The aircraft carrying the Pontiff landed in the capital at 10:15 AM, departing from Rome. This seven-day pastoral journey will include visits to Madrid, Barcelona, and the Canary Islands, featuring approximately thirty religious, institutional, and social events.

The official reception at the airport was attended by King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia, the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, and several government ministers, including José Manuel Albares and Félix Bolaños. Also present were the Ambassador to the Holy See, Isabel Celaá, and key Madrid authorities: the President of the Regional Government, Isabel Díaz Ayuso, and the capital's mayor, José Luis Martínez-Almeida.

Representing the ecclesiastical institution at the airport were the president of the Spanish Episcopal Conference, Luis Argüello; the vice-president of the Episcopal Conference and cardinal archbishop of Madrid, José Cobo; and the Pope's nuncio in Spain, Piero Pioppo.

Following the reception at Barajas, the official welcome ceremony will take place at the Royal Palace. This protocol differs from the one followed during Benedict XVI's visit to Madrid in 2011, when the main arrival event was held at the airport itself.

Pope Leo XIV is accompanied by 80 journalists and about twenty photographers. At the State Pavilion, he will greet a delegation of approximately 25 children aged three to twelve, selected jointly by the Spanish Episcopal Conference and the Vatican, including children with disabilities.