Pope thanks Italian airline for furnishing papal flights (Vatican Press Office)

At an April 14 audience with representatives of ITA Airways, Pope Francis thanked them for acting as “the Pope’s wings, because you enable me to fly to the ends of the earth.”

The Pope reminded the airline personnel that papal airplane travel began in 1964, when Pope Paul VI flew to the Holy Land on a plane furnished by Alitalia, the airline that was eventually succeeded by ITA Airways.

Pope Francis also mentioned his plans for future trips: to Hungary, Marseille, and Mongolia.