Most passengers get a window seat and a view of the wing. On Monday morning, 28 September, the passenger in the Air France A321 from Lourdes to Metz got the cockpit, a radio microphone, and two Rafales flying about 50 metres off the nose.

Pope Leo XIV was on the last leg of his four-day apostolic visit to France. The French Air and Space Force sent a pair of Rafale fighters to escort his aircraft, and the Pope spent the whole cruise up front with the crew. Before the flight was over, he had spoken to the fighter pilots by radio and blessed them.

An Escort in Vatican Colours

Air France flew the Pope on this trip. On 27 September the airline said it was operating three state flights for Pope Leo XIV, all on Airbus A321s in Vatican colours. The one leaving Lourdes on Monday morning picked up company on the way to Metz.

Air France called it an exceptional and friendly escort by the French Air Force, to honour the papal delegation's presence in French airspace. According to the aircraft's co-pilot, the two Rafales came as close as 50 metres, within standard escort and interception procedures. For fighter pilots, that is a routine distance. For the passengers, it made for a spectacular view.

The Pope in the Cockpit

The more unusual part of the flight happened on the other side of the cockpit door. The co-pilot told AFP that the Pope came forward for the entire cruise between Lourdes and Metz, and spent more than half an hour asking the crew about the aircraft's systems.

Then the crew offered him the radio. "We handed the microphone to the Holy Father, who spoke to the Rafale pilots," the co-pilot told AFP. According to his account, the Pope blessed the fighter crews and all the military personnel who defend people and peace.

The cabin crew had their moment too. Flight attendant Landee Van Keeken told AFP that after all the meticulous planning that went into the flight, receiving a blessing from the Pope in person was a unique moment.

Why Fighters Escort VIP Jets

Escorting a head of state or a major visiting dignitary is a standard job for air defence fighters, and France does it regularly for presidential and state flights. The Rafales can identify, shadow and, if necessary, intervene against anything that approaches the aircraft they are protecting. On a peaceful Monday morning over France, the job was mostly ceremonial.

It was still a first for the crews involved: a blessing delivered over the radio, from the cockpit of an airliner, to two fighter pilots flying alongside.

Footage of the Rafale escort alongside the papal A321, via Diario AS.

Sources: Air France on X, AFP, franceinfo, L'Express / 6Médias, mesinfos, Diario AS. Featured image: Air France