Sri Lankan flies high..... While the Pope arrived at Katunayake on Alitalia, it is customary for him to leave on the national airline of tahe host country. SriLankan Airlines offered to fly him to Manila on their account. The Vatican graciously accepted. The 80 Vatican-accredited foreign journalists who accompanied the Pope paid their way. Their aircraft went empty from Manila. “We offered our newest aircraft but the Vatican team chose the Airbus A340,” said Kapila Chandrasena, SriLankan Airlines Chief Executive Officer. The plane was not modified in any way and the small Papal party occupied the front. There were no special meal requests and no fuss. “They looked at menus and made their choice, both Eastern and Western cuisine,” Mr Chandrasena said. “He did not eat breakfast, only a light meal for lunch.” There were 12 in-flight crew members and three instructor captains for optimum safety. “The flight was operated as VVIP,” he explained. The pilots and crew were all Catholic or Christian. “We wanted to give them this opportunity,” Mr Chandrasena said, adding that other selection criteria such as seniority and performance were also applied. “It was the highlight of my life,” Mr Chandrasena said. “The Holy Father was so humble and simple. I felt he was someone who really practises what he preaches. I hardly saw him rest. He keeps up an incredible pace. He came onboard carrying his own bag.” “When we were airborne, the first thing they did was pray,” he continued. “He rested for an hour or so before giving a briefing to the journalists at the back. He blessed each crew member as well as rosaries and other personal items they brought to him.” A small replica of an aircraft was presented to the Pope on behalf of SriLankan Airlines. Later, he had a meeting with his officials. He did some reading and would have dozed off briefly before landing around 5.30 p.m., local time, in Manila. Each time the aircraft overflew another country, greetings from the Pope were conveyed through the flight communications system to the head of that nation. He also sought permission to enter the cockpit and to thank the pilots. “And when he left, he said, ‘Pray for me’,” Mr Chandrasena concluded.
Posted on: Tue, 27 Jan 2015 07:14:40 +0000
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