(AGENPARL) – mer 22 novembre 2023 PRESS RELEASE
Pope Francis flies to Dubai with ITA Airways
Departure from Rome Fiumicino on 1 December at 11:30 a.m. on the carbon-neutral Airbus A330neo
Rome, 22 November 2023 – On the occasion of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP28), the Holy Father will depart with ITA Airways on 1 December at 11:30 a.m. from Rome Fiumicino to Dubai International Airport World Central.
ITA Airways has chosen the Airbus A330neo with a new light blue livery to transport the Holy Father on this trip. It is a technologically efficient aircraft with 25% lower fuel consumption and CO2 emissions per passenger than previous-generation aircraft.
As usual, the flight will depart from Terminal 5 at Leonardo da Vinci Airport, with arrival scheduled for 8:25 p.m. local time.
Welcoming the Holy Father on board at Fiumicino Airport will be ITA Airways President Antonino Turicchi, ITA Airways General Manager Andrea Benassi, and ITA Airways Chief Commercial Officer and Volare CEO Emiliana Limosani. The supervisor of onboard activities will be Commander Corrado Di Maria who has 18,000 flight hours of experience. The crew will consist of 14 people, including 4 pilots and 10 flight attendants, joined by the ITA Airways team dedicated to special flights. As usual, in addition to the Papal delegation, representatives of the Italian and international press will travel with Pope Francis.
It is an honour and a source of great pride for ITA Airways to accompany the Holy Father on his Apostolic Journey under the banner of sustainability.
On this trip, ITA Airways has prepared a plan that takes into consideration the efficiency of operational procedures, the use of SAF (Sustainable Aviation Fuel) for an amount equal to 0.5 percent of the refueling needed for flights, and the full offsetting of emissions that cannot be eliminated through participation in a Gold Standard certified CO2 reduction project.
For press information:
Pietro Caldaroni, Head of Institutional Relations & Communication
ITA Airways is a company entirely owned by the Italian Ministry of Economy and Finance for the exercise of business in the air transport sector. ITA Airways aims at creating an efficient and innovative air carrier that will become a reference point in providing Italy with quality connectivity both in terms of international destinations, thus boosting tourism and foreign trade, and within the Country, also taking advantage of the train-air integrated mobility. ITA Airways will place the best customer service at the centre of its strategy (through a strong digitization of processes that ensure a best-in-class experience and personalized services), combined with sustainability, in its environmental (new green and technologically advanced aircraft, use of sustainable fuels), social (equality and inclusion for a gender-neutral company) and governance (integration of sustainability into internal strategies and processes) aspects. ITA Airways is a member of SkyTeam alliance as of October 2021.