(AGENPARL) – mar 17 settembre 2024 PRESS RELEASE
Pope Francis flies to Luxembourg with ITA Airways
Departure from Rome Fiumicino Airport on September 26 at 8:05am on the Airbus A321neo
Rome, 17 September 2024 – The Holy Father will depart on September 26th at 8:05 am from Rome Fiumicino
Airport to Luxembourg – Findel Airport travelling on an ITA Airways flight.
ITA Airways has chosen the Airbus A321neo to transport the Holy Father on his trip. The A321neo is the
largest aircraft in the Airbus A320neo family and offers exceptional range and performance. Efficient and
quiet, the new A321neo boasts 20% lower fuel consumption and CO2 emissions per seat. It is the first narrowbody aircraft configured with three separate cabins: Business Class (12 seats), Premium Economy (12 seats),
and Economy (141 seats, including 12 dedicated to Comfort Economy).
As usual, the flight will depart from Terminal 5 at Leonardo da Vinci Airport, with landing scheduled at 10:00
am (local time).
Welcoming the Holy Father on board at Fiumicino Airport will be Andrea Benassi, General Manager of ITA
Airways and Emiliana Limosani, Chief Commercial Officer of ITA Airways and CEO of Volare. The supervisor
of onboard activities will be Commander Corrado Di Maria, with 18,000 flight hours of experience; the total
crew will be of 9 people, including 3 pilots and 6 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.
ITA Airways has prepared a plan for this trip 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 Communication & Institutional Relations
About ITA Airways
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.