ITA Airways, the Italian reference carrier, will accompany Pope Leo XIV on his Apostolic Journey to the African continent.

The flight carrying the Holy Father will depart on April 13 at 8:00 am from Rome-Fiumicino, bound for Algiers (Houari Boumédiène Airport), where it will land at 9:00 am local time. The journey will continue on April 15 to Yaoundrié, the capital of Cameroon. On April 17, ITA Airways’ aircraft will take off for Douala, Cameroon’s second-largest city, returning to Yaoundé the same day.

From Cameroon, the apostolic delegation will travel to Angola: on April 18 at 12:30 pm local time, the  A-330neo airplane will take off from Yaoundé bound for Luanda. On April 20, the delegation is scheduled to depart for the fourth African country, Equatorial Guinea, arriving in Malabo in the morning. The Apostolic Journey will conclude on April 23 with the return flight to Rome-Fiumicino, departing from Malabo at 12:45 pm and landing in Italy at 7:55 pm.

For the occasion, ITA Airways will be using the A-330neo, a versatile and innovative aircraft designed to ensure maximum efficiency on short, medium, and long-haul routes, offering passengers the ultimate in comfort and technology while reducing fuel consumption and CO2 emissions by up to 20% compared to aircraft of the previous generation.

Welcoming the Holy Father at Rome Fiumicino Airport on April 13 will be ITA Airways Chairman Sandro Pappalardo, Chief Executive Officer and General Manager Joerg Eberhart, and Chief Commercial, Network and Incentive Management Emiliana Limosani. Captain Fabio Polloni will oversee the flight and onboard operations; the total crewwill consist of 13 people -3 pilots and 10 flight attendants- joined by the ITA Airways team dedicated to special flights. As usual, representatives of the Italian and international press will travel with Pope Leo XIV alongside the papal delegation.

ITA Airways expresses deep pride and gratitude for the renewed trust that His Holiness Pope Leo XIV has placed inthe Company on the occasion of his first Apostolic Journey to Africa. For ITA Airways, this is a source of immense honor and privilege, as well as recognition of the work carried out every day by the men and women who represent the Company around the world.