{"id":25473965,"date":"2026-09-29T10:45:57","date_gmt":"2026-09-29T08:45:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/how-the-pope-flies-papal-plane-shepherd-one-volo-papale\/"},"modified":"2026-09-29T10:46:22","modified_gmt":"2026-09-29T08:46:22","slug":"how-the-pope-flies-papal-plane-shepherd-one-volo-papale","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/es\/how-the-pope-flies-papal-plane-shepherd-one-volo-papale\/","title":{"rendered":"How the Pope Flies: Papal Planes, Shepherd One and Fighter Escorts"},"content":{"rendered":"<style>.et_pb_title_container h1.entry-title { padding-top: 40px !important; }<\/style>\r\n\r\n<p>The President of the United States has Air Force One. The Pope, head of a state of less than half a square kilometre, has no air force, no airline and no airport. Yet he flies more than most heads of state, and when two French Rafales formed up on his Airbus over France on 28 September 2026, nobody doubted who was on board.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>So how does the Pope actually fly? The answer involves borrowed airliners, a famous callsign that is mostly a myth, and a press conference at 35,000 feet that has made headlines for more than a decade.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<div style=\"background:#f4f6fa;border:1px solid #e2e7ee;padding:18px 22px;margin:22px 0 28px\"><p style=\"margin:0 0 10px;font-weight:700;color:#0d1117;font-size:17px\">Quick Facts<\/p><ul style=\"margin:0;padding-left:20px;line-height:1.75\"><li><strong>Own aircraft:<\/strong> None. The Holy See has no airline, airport or air force<\/li><li><strong>Outbound flights:<\/strong> Traditionally the Italian flag carrier: Alitalia in the past, ITA Airways today<\/li><li><strong>Return flights:<\/strong> Usually chartered from the flag carrier or a major airline of the host country<\/li><li><strong>Italian callsign:<\/strong> Volo Papale (\"papal flight\") plus the number of flights the Pope has made<\/li><li><strong>Shepherd One:<\/strong> A callsign the FAA may assign to papal flights in the US or on US airlines<\/li><li><strong>Short trips in Italy:<\/strong> Italian Air Force AW139 helicopter from the Vatican heliport<\/li><li><strong>France 2026:<\/strong> Air France Airbus A321s in Vatican colours, escorted by Rafales<\/li><\/ul><\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">Borrowed Airliners<\/h2>\r\n\r\n<p>Because the Holy See has no airline, every papal trip abroad is a charter. By tradition the Pope leaves Rome on the Italian flag carrier, for decades Alitalia and today ITA Airways. For the flight home, the Vatican usually charters an aircraft from the host country's national airline or another major carrier.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>That tradition gives airlines a rare honour. In September 2026, Air France flew Pope Leo XIV on three state flights during his visit to France, all on Airbus A321s in Vatican colours.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<div style=\"max-width:550px;margin:0 auto 28px\"><iframe class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/embed\/Tweet.html?id=2104176978584588677&theme=light\" style=\"width:100%;height:560px;border:none;overflow:hidden\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>The cabin is typically reconfigured, with a private area for the Pope near the front and the rest of the aircraft given to his entourage, security staff and the accredited journalists who travel with him.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">Shepherd One: A Callsign, Not a Plane<\/h2>\r\n\r\n<p>\"Shepherd One\" is often described as the Pope's plane, as if it were a papal Air Force One. It is not. It is a callsign. According to Wikipedia, papal flights within the United States or chartered on a US airline may be given the callsign Shepherd One by the Federal Aviation Administration. It has also been used elsewhere, including by the Philippine Airlines Airbus A340 that carried Pope Francis out of the Philippines.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\" style=\"margin:0 0 24px;width:100%\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" width=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/09\/pope-benedict-xvi-arrives-andrews-alitalia-2008.jpg\" alt=\"Pope Benedict XVI waves from the door of the Alitalia papal plane at Andrews Air Force Base, 2008\" style=\"width:100%;height:auto;max-width:100%;display:block\"><figcaption style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;margin-top:6px;font-style:italic\">Pope Benedict XVI arrives at Andrews Air Force Base on an Alitalia airliner in April 2008, at the start of his first visit to the United States. Photo: U.S. Air Force, public domain<\/figcaption><\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>In Italian airspace, the papal flight has a more literal callsign: Volo Papale, \"papal flight,\" followed by the number of flights that Pope has made. For shorter trips within Italy, the Pope usually travels by helicopter from the Vatican heliport, in an Italian Air Force AgustaWestland AW139.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">Fighter Escorts<\/h2>\r\n\r\n<p>Many countries give the papal aircraft the same treatment as a visiting head of state, including a fighter escort in their airspace. On 28 September 2026, two French Air and Space Force Rafales flew alongside Pope Leo XIV's A321 from Lourdes to Metz. The Pope sat in the cockpit, spoke to the fighter pilots by radio and blessed them.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<div style=\"max-width:550px;margin:0 auto 28px\"><iframe class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/embed\/Tweet.html?id=2104484521844371648&theme=light\" style=\"width:100%;height:640px;border:none;overflow:hidden\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<div style=\"background:#f8f9fa;border-left:4px solid #5C91FF;padding:20px 22px;margin:18px 0 24px;font-size:16px;line-height:1.7;display:flex;gap:20px;align-items:flex-start\"><div><em>&ldquo;After all the meticulous planning that went into this flight, receiving a blessing from the pope in person was a unique moment.&rdquo;<\/em><div style=\"margin-top:10px;font-size:14px;color:#555\"><strong>Landee Van Keeken<\/strong> &mdash; Air France flight attendant on the Lourdes to Metz flight, speaking to AFP, 28 September 2026<\/div><\/div><\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">The Press Conference at 35,000 Feet<\/h2>\r\n\r\n<p>The most famous part of any papal flight happens on the way home. For decades, popes have walked back into the cabin on the flight home to take questions from the travelling press corps. The questions range widely, and some of the most quoted words of recent popes were spoken in an airliner aisle.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\" style=\"margin:0 0 24px;width:100%\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" width=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/09\/pope-francis-boards-papal-plane-rio-2013.jpg\" alt=\"Pope Francis boards the plane back to Rome after World Youth Day in Rio de Janeiro, July 2013\" style=\"width:100%;height:auto;max-width:100%;display:block\"><figcaption style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;margin-top:6px;font-style:italic\">Pope Francis boards his flight home from Rio de Janeiro on 28 July 2013. On that flight he gave one of the best-known in-flight press conferences of his papacy. Photo: T\u00e2nia R\u00eago \/ Ag\u00eancia Brasil, CC BY 3.0 BR<\/figcaption><\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>On that flight from Rio de Janeiro in July 2013, Pope Francis was asked about gay priests. His answer went around the world within hours.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<div style=\"background:#f8f9fa;border-left:4px solid #1565c0;padding:20px 22px;margin:18px 0 24px;font-size:16px;line-height:1.7;display:flex;gap:20px;align-items:flex-start\"><div><em>&ldquo;If someone is gay and is searching for the Lord and has good will, then who am I to judge him?&rdquo;<\/em><div style=\"margin-top:10px;font-size:14px;color:#555\"><strong>Pope Francis<\/strong> &mdash; in-flight press conference returning from Rio de Janeiro, 28 July 2013<\/div><\/div><\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>The tradition continues. On the flight home from France, Pope Leo XIV held his own in-flight press conference, which Vatican News published in full.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<div style=\"position:relative;padding-bottom:56.25%;height:0;overflow:hidden;margin:24px 0\"><iframe class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/wZukwO6kj88\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;border:0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n<p style=\"font-size:14px;color:#666;font-style:italic\">Pope Leo XIV's in-flight press conference on the return from France, 28 September 2026. Video: Vatican News.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>It is a strange arrangement for a head of state: no aircraft of his own, a borrowed airliner in borrowed colours, and a crowd of journalists a few rows back. It has worked for more than half a century.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p><em>Sources: Wikipedia (Air transports of heads of state and government; Pope Francis and LGBTQ topics), Air France on X, AFP, Vatican News. Featured image: Tech. Sgt. Suzanne M. Day \/ U.S. Air Force, public domain<\/em><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<style>.mfq{margin:34px 0 8px}.mfq h2{font:26px\/1.3 \"Gilroy semiBold\",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;color:#0d1117;padding-top:22px;margin:0 0 6px}.mfq .qa details{border-top:1px solid #5C91FF;margin:0;padding:0}.mfq .qa details:last-of-type{border-bottom:1px solid #e2e7ee}.mfq .qa summary{cursor:pointer;list-style:none;display:flex;justify-content:space-between;align-items:center;gap:16px;padding:22px 26px;font:18px\/1.7 \"Gilroy semiBold\",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;color:#0d1117}.mfq .qa summary::-webkit-details-marker{display:none}.mfq .qa summary::after{content:\"+\";font:24px Helvetica,sans-serif;color:#3568e0;flex:0 0 auto}.mfq .qa details[open] summary::after{content:\"\\2013\"}.mfq .qa details:hover summary{color:#3568e0}.mfq .qa .a{font:16px\/1.7 \"Gilroy regular\",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;color:#454e5e;padding:0 26px 24px}.mfq .qa .a a{color:#3568e0}@media(max-width:680px){.mfq .qa summary{padding:18px 14px;font-size:17px}.mfq .qa .a{padding:0 14px 20px}}<\/style>\r\n\r\n\r\n<section class=\"mfq\"><h2>Frequently Asked Questions<\/h2><div class=\"qa\"><details open><summary>Does the Pope have his own plane?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">No. The Holy See has no airline, airport or air force, so all papal flights abroad are chartered. By tradition the Pope flies out of Rome with the Italian flag carrier, historically Alitalia and now ITA Airways, and returns on an aircraft chartered from the host country's airline.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>What is Shepherd One?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">Shepherd One is a callsign, not a specific aircraft. According to Wikipedia, the FAA may assign it to papal flights within the United States or chartered on a US airline. It has also been used for other papal flights, such as Pope Francis's departure from the Philippines.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>What is the callsign of the papal flight?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">In Italy, the papal flight uses the callsign Volo Papale, meaning papal flight, followed by the number of flights the current Pope has made. In the United States and on some other flights the callsign Shepherd One may be used.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>How does the Pope travel within Italy?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">For most shorter pastoral visits within Italy, the Pope flies by helicopter from the Vatican heliport. The helicopter is an AgustaWestland AW139 operated by the Italian Air Force.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>Why do fighter jets escort the Pope's plane?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">Many countries treat the Pope as a visiting head of state and provide a fighter escort in their airspace. On 28 September 2026, two French Rafale fighters escorted Pope Leo XIV's Air France A321 from Lourdes to Metz.<\/div><\/details><\/div><\/section>\r\n\r\n\r\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@type\":\"FAQPage\",\"mainEntity\":[{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"Does the Pope have his own plane?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"No. The Holy See has no airline, airport or air force, so all papal flights abroad are chartered. By tradition the Pope flies out of Rome with the Italian flag carrier, historically Alitalia and now ITA Airways, and returns on an aircraft chartered from the host country's airline.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"What is Shepherd One?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"Shepherd One is a callsign, not a specific aircraft. According to Wikipedia, the FAA may assign it to papal flights within the United States or chartered on a US airline. 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On 28 September 2026, two French Rafale fighters escorted Pope Leo XIV's Air France A321 from Lourdes to Metz.\"}}]}<\/script><div style=\"background:#f0f4ff;border-left:4px solid #5C91FF;padding:16px 20px;margin:32px 0 8px\"><p style=\"margin:0 0 8px;font-weight:600;color:#333\">Related Posts<\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/pope-leo-xiv-rafale-escort-air-france-a321-lourdes-metz-2026\/\">Pope Leo XIV Blesses Rafale Pilots Escorting His Air France A321<\/a><\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/air-force-one-decoy-embarrassing-or-smart\/\">Was the Air Force One Decoy Embarrassing?<\/a><\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/e-4b-nightwatch-doomsday-plane-naoc-explained\/\">E-4B Nightwatch: Inside America's Doomsday Plane<\/a><\/p><\/div>\r\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Pope has no plane of his own. How papal flights work, what Shepherd One really is, and why popes hold press conferences at 35,000 feet.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":25473221,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"editor_notices":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[665],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-25473965","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-aviation-world"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>How the Pope Flies: The Papal Plane Explained | MiGFlug<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The Pope has no papal plane of his own. 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