Barcelona is set to be the focus of Pope Leo XIV’s arrival in Catalonia, with Iberia commander Pablo Martínez Núñez planning a flyover of the Sagrada Família before landing at El Prat Airport.
The pilot said he wants to give the Pope a special view of Antoni Gaudí’s basilica, which is now the world’s tallest church. The visit to Barcelona also includes a solemn mass inside the Sagrada Família and a blessing of the newly completed Jesus Christ tower.
Martínez Núñez set out the plan at a press conference on 26 May at the Spanish Episcopal Conference headquarters in Madrid. He said the route change depends on clear weather and on air traffic control approving the manoeuvre. “If we are lucky, the weather is good, and one of the runways normally used for approach in Barcelona is operational, my intention is to coordinate it with air traffic control to pass near the Sagrada Família so the Holy Father has a special view of it,” he said.
The commander described the flight as the most special of his career. He said that, as a Catholic, the assignment goes beyond the professional and emotional side, calling it a gift, a dream, a source of pride and a tremendous honour. He also said Pope Leo XIV’s message of hope is very necessary in the world today.
The travel arrangements follow a papal flight pattern in place since Pope John Paul II’s first visit to Spain. Italian airline ITA Airways, the successor to Alitalia, carries the Pope from Rome, while Iberia handles internal flights and the return to the Vatican. For this visit, Iberia will manage four routes, starting with Madrid to Barcelona, then on to Gran Canaria, Tenerife, and finally back to Rome from the Canary Islands.
Other Iberia crews will fly the later legs, after expressing interest in the mission. The airline is also preparing support from maintenance, engineering, planning and operations staff, and Martínez Núñez said there may be musical surprises on board for the Pope.