Pope Leo XIV got a cockpit visit onboard an Iberia flight from Madrid to Barcelona, including a radio exchange with Spanish fighter pilots escorting the aircraft. Not exactly your average intra-Europe hop…
Pope Leo XIV Visits Cockpit On Iberia Flight To Barcelona
Pope Leo XIV was invited into the cockpit of an Iberia Airbus A320 during a flight from Madrid (MAD) to Barcelona (BCN) on Tuesday, part of his official visit to Spain.
While up front, the pope waved to Spanish Air Force fighter pilots escorting the aircraft and spoke with them over the radio. I suppose if anyone is going to get an inflight cockpit visit in 2026, it is going to be the pope…
The flight was one of several Iberia is operating for Pope Leo XIV during his visit to Spain, including Madrid – Barcelona, Barcelona – Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria – Tenerife North, and Tenerife North – Rome. Iberia also prepared the aircraft with papal details, including the Vatican coat of arms near the forward door.
Captain Pablo Martínez Núñez, a 26-year Iberia veteran, called flying the pope the “most meaningful flight” of his career. I’m sure it was…
Pope: Cockpit For Me, But Not For Thee!
In a post-9/11 world, cockpit access is understandably sensitive. Passengers do not just walk up front during flight and people tend to get upset when that happens (though I’ve argued that I would not be opposed to see more folks in the cockpit than the pope or Sam Chui…).
But this is not a “security breach” story: this was the pope traveling on an official visit, under tightly controlled security conditions, with a fighter escort alongside the aircraft.
And frankly, I found it charming. Whatever your religious views, there is something wonderful about a head of the state sitting in the cockpit, waving to the fighter pilots, and speaking to them over the radio.
I still remember how magical cockpit visits were as a child. Even today, when permitted on the ground, they remain one of the small joys of aviation and have been for my kids too.
For most of us, an inflight cockpit visit is not coming back. But for the pope on an official Iberia flight, an exception was understandably made…and I do love the smile on his face:
CONCLUSION
Pope Leo XIV’s Iberia flight from Madrid to Barcelona included a cockpit visit, a fighter escort, and a radio exchange with Spanish Air Force pilots.
While not something we ordinary passengers can ever expect, it struck me as a rather lovely moment. And if the captain called it the most meaningful flight of his career, I’m sure it was even more special for the crew. Judging by the pope’s smile, it was clearly quite special for him too!
That’s awesome! Pope Leo brings me hope!
Two decades ago we were traveling with our terrier puppy. Puppy was in a carrier under the seat. As the captain walked down the aisle to greet passengers he noticed our puppy poking his head out of his carrier and offered to let the puppy (in carrier) ride in the cockpit during flight. The captain must have been a dog lover.
I still remember flying Air New Zealand first class from Auckland to Sydney in 1994. First of all “first class” then was recliners (although large ones). Also, there were only 3-4 people in first including my wife and myself. As we started approach to Sydney the flight attendant asked if we wanted to visit the cockpit. Obviously the answer is yes. The door was open and we stood at the back but got a great view of the pilots working the approach as well as the Sydney harbor and operahouse spread out below us.
Obviously experiences like that won’t happen again but I am glad we got the chance to have it.
That is EPIC!
Aeroflot had an Airbus A310 that crashed when the pilot’s 2 children were in the cockpit in flight. Noooooo
Eh, this is a bit different from Aeroflot 593, but I get the reference. Like, the Pope is not a child. Sadly, Air India 304 wasn’t too different from Aeroflot. (There was that recent United Airlines charter flight for the Colorado Rockies baseball team… no one got hurt, but, still.)
The pilots needed all the help they could get to ensure that the scummy Airpus made it to its destination.
*sigh* Oh, you fine Illinois brethren…
a little about popes of prior generations;
crimes against children, supporting nazi war crimes, posession of stolen property in vatican archives
next to go to the cockpit, el chapo
There is no excuse for the improper actions of previous pope’s. Those acts in no way cloud this pope’s tenure. (BTW athiest here)
Leo is indeed awesome, but I thought that popes always flew Al Italia (now ITA). Times have changed!
Nepotism.
Just like Sam Chui.
I have mixed feeling about this pope. He grew up in the Chicago area. He thinks Aurelio’s is the best pizza, and he orders it with pepperoni. The former is true (at least in the top few), but the latter is completely crazy. Sausage is the Chicago topping of choice.
I’m still firmly in the Lou Malnati’s camp (sausage).
Yeah, but for those of us who grew up in Chicagoland in my era, pizza was thin crust. Deep dish didn’t make it out of downtown until 1971 when Malnati’s opened in Lincolnwood. It arrived to us in the south suburbs until much later. Malnati’s is a particularly good deep dish, but if I still lived in Chicagoland, I’d probably eat 8 or 9 times as many thin crust as thick.