Iberia operates the Pope’s flights during his official visit to Spain
His Holiness is visiting Spain from 6-12 June, travelling to Madrid, Barcelona, Gran Canaria and Tenerife. Iberia is operating all of his flights, transporting the pontiff on board an A320 specially outfitted for the occasion. The aircraft has been made available to the Holy See to ensure Pope Leo XIV’s safety, comfort and punctuality throughout this historic visit.
Iberia is accompanying His Holiness, Pope Leo XIV, on his travels during his visit to Spain. The official visit consists of four stages, with all the flights operated by Iberia: the first in Madrid, where he stays until 9 June; the second in Barcelona, a city he visits until 11 June; the third in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, from 11-12 June; and the final one in Tenerife, from where he will depart for Rome.
All flights are being operated by an A320 that was specially outfitted for the occasion, featuring, for example, the Papal Coat of Arms on the front of the fuselage. The flights include details such as special headrest covers with the Vatican emblem and images of the Virgin Mary (Our Lady of Montserrat on the Madrid-Barcelona route, and Our Lady of Candelaria on the Barcelona-Gran Canaria and Gran Canaria-Tenerife routes). Guests are being served with meals prepared with seasonal produce, premium ingredients and wines from different Spanish denominations of origin, including Rioja and Ribera del Duero. The crew is made up of volunteer professionals selected from among the airline’s employees, while the on-board music is provided by the choir of the Escolanía de El Escorial, from the Monasterio de San Lorenzo de El Escorial, founded in 1974 by the Augustinians – the religious order to which Leo XIV belonged before being elected supreme pontiff.
Iberia has a longstanding association with papal visits to Spain, facilitating both domestic journeys within the country and return flights to Rome. In 1982, Pope John Paul II made his first historic visit to Spain, during which he travelled to 18 cities across the country. Many of these journeys were operated aboard a Boeing 727-200 named Navarra. Likewise, during his visits to Santiago de Compostela and Asturias in 1989, as well as on his return to Rome in 1993 following the conclusion of his pastoral visit to Spain, he travelled aboard a Boeing 727 named Castilla la Vieja. Continuing this tradition, Pope Benedict XVI returned to Rome following his first visit to Spain in 2006 aboard an Airbus A321 named Villa de Uncastillo. During his second visit to Spain, Benedict XVI travelled from Santiago de Compostela to Barcelona and subsequently returned to Rome aboard the Airbus A321 Delta de Llobregat. His Holiness also flew back to Rome on an Iberia aircraft following his visit to Spain in 2011 for World Youth Day.
