1/04/1964: First Papal Visit to Use a Commercial Airliner

DALLAS — In 1964, Pope Paul VI made history by becoming the first Pope to use a commercial airliner for an official visit. The Vatican chartered a Douglas DC-8. The now-defunct Alitalia operated the flight, landing in Amman, Jordan. The plane was marked with the Vatican colors, white and yellow, as well as the Pope's coat of arms.

Since then, various heads of the Roman Catholic Church have used different airlines for their travels. Some of these airlines include TAP Air Portugal (TP), American Airlines (AA), LOT Polish Airlines (LO), and Etihad (EY).

Pope John Paul II holds the record for being one of the most frequent airline users among the Popes. During his 27-year papacy, he visited 129 countries and flew approximately 725,000 miles.

'Shepherd One'

However, Alitalia (AZ) was primarily responsible for transporting the Pope, and these flights had a unique flight number, AZ4000, and often a special call sign: Shepherd One.

Upon arrival at their destination, the flight crew would open the flight deck windows to display the Vatican standard and the flag of the country being visited, adding a ceremonial touch to the Pope's arrival.

For long-haul trips, the Pope would typically travel on a Boeing 777 or Airbus A330 aircraft. The Airbus A320 or A321 operated short-haul flights. Additionally, for short distances, the Pope would utilize an Italian Air Force helicopter.

Since the demise of Alitalia and the establishment of ITA Airways (AZ), Pope Francis has flown with the new airline on several occasions. The first instance was on December 2, 2021, when he flew from Rome to Cyprus aboard one of ITA Airways' Airbus A320 aircraft.

Featured image: The DC-8 was taken on a one-hour test flight with General Felice Santini, Italian Director General of Civil Aviation.

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