Pope Francis will set off on his landmark visit to Bahrain on Thursday morning, the start of his first visit to the island country, and his second trip to the Arabian Gulf in three years.
Flight number AZ4000 is scheduled to depart Terminal 5 at Rome Fiumicino Airport at 9.40am, Italian time (11.40am in the UAE).
The head of the Roman Catholic Church will not fly to Bahrain International Airport in Manama. Instead, he is expected to land at the country’s single-runway Sakhir Air base at 4.45pm on Thursday afternoon.
Operated via an Airbus A330 registered EI-EJH, the pope's flight will have zero CO2 impact in terms of fuel consumption.
Flight-tracking website Flightradar24.com is follow the flight on the near 4,000-kilometre flight path. Users can track its progress here.
ITA airways has implemented a special plan for the pope's flight that includes the use of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), streamlined operational procedures and offsetting carbon emissions.
“It is an honour and a source of great pride for ITA Airways to accompany the holy father’s apostolic journey under the banner of sustainability, a major commitment for the company, as constantly reiterated by Pope Francis in his speeches,” the airline said.
Pope Francis will be joined on the flight by a papal delegation, members of the media and an ITA crew of 14, including four pilots and 10 flight attendants.
Italian commander Massimiliano Marselli, who has more than 18,000 hours of flight experience and has previously commanded papal flights, will once again be in charge of the pope's flight.
Fabio Lazzerini, chief executive at ITA Airways, will be among those waiting to see off the pope at Rome Fiumicino Airport.
ITA has been Italy’s flag carrier since October last year, and is now the official airline for the pope. It took over from former state airline Alitalia which had been the official papal flight operator for 57 years.
Pope Francis has flown with the airline several times already, including flights to Kazakhstan, Malta and Canada this year.
Bahrain prepares for visit of Pope Francis — in pictures
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Pope Francis, left, speaks with Bahrain's King Hamad during their meeting in the capital Manama. The Pope is making the November 3-6 visit to participate in a government-sponsored conference on East-West dialogue and to minister to Bahrain's small Catholic community. AFP -
Pope Francis laughs during a meeting with Bahrain's King Hamad at Sakhir Palace. Reuters -
Pope Francis attends a meeting at Sakhir Palace during his visit to Bahrain. Reuters -
Pope Francis speaks with Bahrain's King Hamad as he arrives in the country. AP -
Pope Francis, Bahrain's King Hamad and Crown Prince and Prime Minister Salman bin Hamad attend a welcome ceremony at Sakhir Palace. Reuters -
Pope Francis arrives at Sakhir Palace. Reuters -
The pontiff arrives at Sakhir Palace. Reuters -
Bahrain's Crown Prince and Prime Minister Salman bin Hamad arrives to welcome Pope Francis to the country. Reuters -
Schoolchildren prepare to welcome Pope Francis at Sakhir Palace. Khushnum Bhandari / The National -
Preparations at Sakhir Palace for the arrival of Pope Francis. Khushnum Bhandari / The National -
Schoolchildren welcome the Pope to Bahrain. Khushnum Bhandari / The National -
Schoolchildren wave flags to welcome the pontiff. Khushnum Bhandari / The National -
A marching band practises at Sakhir Palace before the arrival of Pope Francis. Khushnum Bhandari / The National -
Preparations at Sakhir Palace for the arrival of Pope Francis. Khushnum Bhandari / The National -
Schoolchildren prepare to welcome the Pope on the grounds of Sakhir Palace. Khushnum Bhandari / The National -
A marching band practises at Sakhir Palace. Khushnum Bhandari / The National -
View of the sunset at Sakhir Palace as the Pope arrives in Bahrain. Khushnum Bhandari / The National -
Representatives of various religions attend the interfaith Bahrain Forum for Dialogue in the capital Manama, hours before the arrival of Pope Francis. AFP -
Representatives of various faiths attend the interfaith conference. AFP -
Representatives of different faiths attend the conference. AFP -
A Muslim cleric attends the Bahrain Forum for Dialogue in the capital Manama. AFP -
Pope Francis boards a plane at Leonardo da Vinci-Fiumicino Airport on Thursday for his visit to Bahrain. AP -
An Airbus A330-202 with the Pope on board prepares to take off from Rome for the four-day trip to Bahrain. AFP -
Pope Francis, seated on a wheelchair, is lifted on a platform to board the plane. AFP -
The main stage where Mass will be held at Bahrain National Stadium during Pope Francis's visit. Khushnum Bhandari / The National -
The main stage. Khushnum Bhandari / The National -
Preparations in progress for the Pope's visit to Bahrain. Khushnum Bhandari / The National -
Bahrain National Stadium. Khushnum Bhandari / The National -
Workers making arrangements at the stadium. Khushnum Bhandari / The National -
Sacred Heart School ahead of Pope Francis's visit. Khushnum Bhandari / The National -
Arrangements inside the Cathedral of our Lady of Arabia for the visit. Khushnum Bhandari / The National -
Photos of Pope Francis and rulers of Bahrain at Cathedral of our Lady of Arabia. Khushnum Bhandari / The National -
Signs at the main entrance of the Cathedral of our Lady of Arabia. Khushnum Bhandari / The National -
Outside the Sacred Heart School. Khushnum Bhandari / The National -
Workers make last minute preparations at Bahrain National Stadium, where Pope Francis will hold a public Mass during his three-day visit to Manama, Bahrain. All photos from this image onwards: Reuters -
Workers prepare for the papal visit. -
A vendor shows a coffee mug made to celebrate Pope Francis's visit, at a souvenir stand at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Manama. -
Last minute preparations at Sacred Heart Catholic Church, one of the places Pope Francis will visit. -
Last minute preparations at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Manama. -
Last minute preparations at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Manama. -
Last minute preparations at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Manama. -
Last minute preparations at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Manama.
