Air France flies Pope Leo XIV across France in papal-liveried A321

Air France handled the flights carrying Pope Leo XIV, along with the Vatican delegation and accredited journalists, during his official trip to France from September 26 to 28, 2026.

The sectors linked Paris-Orly Airport, Tarbes-Lourdes-Pyrénées Airport, Metz-Nancy-Lorraine Airport and Rome. They were flown under State flight procedures, which the carrier said demanded preparation and coordination beyond its normal operations, with each stage arranged alongside French authorities, Vatican representatives and airport teams.

The aircraft, an Airbus A321, was painted with a special livery showing the pope's coat of arms, in keeping with Vatican protocol. For the mission it was also given the temporary name "Vatican City".

Air France said the effort involved several parts of the airline over a period of weeks, covering stopover handling, aircraft preparation, crew coordination, reception of the delegation, security and protocol.

Ahead of the September 26 departure, Benjamin Smith, chairman of the Air France board and chief executive of Air France-KLM, gave the pope a signed collector's poster, a nod to the airline's history of carrying pilgrimage and papal flights.

On September 28 the visit's last leg took the pontiff from Tarbes-Lourdes-Pyrénées in the southwest to Metz-Nancy-Lorraine in the northeast, close to the German border. Captain Clemence Coussonneau commanded that flight, which two French Rafale fighter jets accompanied at a separation of roughly 50 metres from the A321.

The 71-year-old pope, described as an aviation enthusiast, spent around half an hour on the flight deck while the aircraft was in the cruise phase. Co-pilot Eric Marguerite said the pope stayed in the cockpit for the whole cruise portion of the Lourdes–Metz sector.