Rome: The Vatican is putting the 'mass' in mass transport by launching its own airline. The new service will fly pilgrims in Boeing 737 style to some of the world's holiest sites.
Destinations will include the Holy Land, the Shrine of Fatima in Portugal and Mount Sinai in Egypt, where Moses is said to have received the Ten Commandments from God.
The Vatican expects to fly 150,000 pilgrims a year to religious sites, pampered by conservatively dressed flight attendants. And to remind passengers of where they are going and why, each headrests is decorated with the slogan: "I'm searching for your face, Lord."
Complete with Vatican logos on headrests and air hostesses' uniforms, the inaugural flight travelled from Rome's Fiumicino Airport for the shrine of Lourdes in France.
"It is a spiritual journey," explained Francesco Gherra, one of the pilgrims who boarded Tuesday's inaugural flight hosted by Cardinal Camillo Ruini, the former head of Italy's bishops.
In-flight entertainment on the way to the world's holy sites will, somewhat predictably, be religious in nature, the Vatican said.
"The crew has been informed that there are (religious) messages that will be transmitted, that films will be shown during the flight," said Father Cesar Atuire at the Vatican office coordinating pilgrimages. Keeping costs for pilgrims low is another priority for the Vatican, Atuire said.
The Vatican's venture into the airline industry did not go unnoticed by competitors, including Ryanair, Europe's biggest low-cost carrier. The Vatican hopes to fly pilgrims from Rome to Santiago de Compostela in Spain, a route already serviced by the low-budget carrier.
"Ryanair already performs miracles that even the Pope's boss can't rival, by delivering pilgrims to Santiago de Compostela for the heavenly price of 10 euros," Ryanair said.
(With Reuters input)
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