Flying with the Pope apparently comes with perks for everyone on board. During a recent trip across France, Pope Leo XIV made his way into the flight deck of an Air France Airbus A321-200 mid-flight and spent roughly 30 minutes chatting with the pilots — then, in a moment few aviators can claim, blessed the fighter pilots escorting the aircraft by radio, along with the cabin crew.
The flight in question was AF4005, one of three legs Air France operated for the Pope's visit to France. It departed Tarbes–Lourdes–Pyrénées Airport in the southwest on a late-September morning at 7:51 AM, landing at Metz–Nancy–Lorraine Airport about an hour and 12 minutes later. Pilot Eric Marguerite told AFP the conversations were informal, describing the Pontiff as genuinely passionate about aviation, cars and mechanics — which tracks with Leo XIV's growing reputation as a bit of an avgeek. One flight attendant called receiving a blessing in person a unique moment after all the meticulous planning behind the flight.
The aircraft itself has a story worth noting for anyone who tracks such things. Registration F-GTAU, normally named 'Beaune', is one of only four A321-200s left in the Air France fleet, and at nearly 18 years old it's among the airline's more senior narrowbodies. For the papal operation it was temporarily rebranded 'Cité du Vatican' and worked all three legs: AF4004 from Paris Orly to Lourdes on the Saturday evening, the Lourdes–Metz hop, and finally AF4006 from Metz to Rome Fiumicino that Monday, departing 7:33 PM and arriving 8:54 PM. It has since gone back to carrying regular passengers under its usual name.
This wasn't the first time the Pope's travel plans made aviation headlines. Earlier this year, his Iberia Airbus A320 failed to start its engines in strong winds at Tenerife North, stranding the delegation until the Spanish King's Dassault Falcon 900 flew the Pope home — though most of his entourage had to wait for a replacement A320. Iberia had nonetheless rolled out the red carpet, fitting special antimacassars on the headrests for the occasion.
For travellers, this is a fun slice of airline trivia rather than a booking tip — but it's a neat reminder that special charter flights, aircraft renamings and papal liveries do happen, and flight trackers like Flightradar24 let anyone follow them live. If you're an aviation enthusiast, the papal flight trail (Orly, Lourdes, Metz, Rome) is a quirky route to know about, and Lourdes itself remains one of France's most significant pilgrimage destinations, well served by its own airport.
